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THE 


Union  Theological  Seminary 


CITY   OF    NEW   YORK: 

HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 
OF    ITS   FIRST    FIFTY    YEARS. 


BY 

GEORGE    LEWIS    PRENTISS. 


To  cTTtetKes  v/xwv  yvwcr^>7Tw  iraa-iv  dv^pcuTroi?.      'O  Kvpio<;  cyyvs. 

Phil.  iv.  5. 


NEW   YORK: 
ANSON    D.    F.    RANDOLPH   AND    CO. 

i88q. 


Copyright,  1889, 
By  Anson   D.  F.  Randolph  and  Co. 


UntbcrsttD  Press: 
John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge. 


PEEFACE. 


"  I  "HIS  volume,  prepared  by  request  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  and  Faculty  of  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  in  the  City  of  New  York,  contains  the  ad- 
dress, a  portion  of  which  was  delivered  at  the  Semi- 
centenary  of  the  Institution,  on  December  7,  1886, 
and  also  biographical  sketches  of  the  men  whose  names 
as  Founders,  Directors,  Benefactors,  and  Professors  are 
identified  with  its  history.  I  regret  that,  owing  to  pro- 
tracted ill  health,  as  well  as  to  difficulty  in  obtaining 
the  requisite  material  for  many  of  these  sketches,  the 
publication  of  the  work  has  been  so  long  delayed,  and 
that  for  the  same  reason  it  falls  far  short  of  what  I 
desired  to  make  it. 

Not  long  after  the  celebration.  President  Hitchcock, 
who  took  a  deeper  interest  in  it  than  any  one  else, 
suddenly  departed  this  life  ;  a  loss  soon  followed  by 
that  of  two  of  the  oldest  Directors.  It  seems  fitting 
that  some  notice  of  them  also  should  appear  in  this 
volume,  although  the  record  of  their  death  belongs 
to  the  second,  and  not  the  first,  half-century  of  the 
Seminary. 

New  York,  September  24,  1889. 


IV1130145 


CONTENTS. 


PART   FIRST. 
HISTORICAL   ADDRESS. 

PAGE 

I.    Theological  Seminaries  in  the  United  States   ....        3 
II.    Origin  and  Design  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary        5 

III.  The   Founders   of  the  Union  Theological   Seminary   as 

PLANNED   AND   ORGANIZED 8 

IV.  The  Seminary  equipped  and  opened  for  Instruction.  —  Its 

E.-vRLY  Trials  and  Struggle  for  Existence 20 

V.     Early  Ecclesiastical  and  Theological  Position  of  the 

Seminary 34 

VI.     Development  of  the  Seminary  in  its  Scope  and  Teaching 

Force 4.4. 

VII.     Successive  Endowment  Efforts.  —  Later  Financial  His- 
tory.—  Departed  Friends  and  Benefactors.  —  Removal 

of  the  Seminary 52 

VIII.     Departed  Professors,  and  what  the  Seminary  owes   to 

them CO 

IX.    The  Library,  its  Growth  and  Needs.  —  Some  Lessons  of 
the  Semi-centennial   Catalogue.  —  National  and  Mis- 
sionary Character  of  the  Seminary.  —  Its  Alumni  .     .       73 
X.    Present  Condition  of   the  Seminary. — Its  Relation   to 

the  Past  and  the  Future S3 

Note  A.    The  Course  of  Study 88 

Note  B.    Professorships,  Lectureships,  Fellowships,  etc.      .     .      94 


^  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


KoTE  C.    Extracts   fkom   the    Sermon    entitled    "The    Union 

Theological  Seminary" 

Note  D.    The  Treasures  of  the  Library 

Note  E.    Alumni  who  have  been  engaged  in  the  Foreign  Mis- 


...    107 
sioNARY  Service 


PART   SECOND. 

BIOGRAPHICAL      SKETCHES      OF     FOUNDERS,     DIRECTORS, 
BENEFACTORS,    AND    PROFESSORS. 

I     Founders,  Directors,  and  Benefactors 109-240 

.     . 243-274 
II.    Professors 


.     .     285 
INDEX 


part  MvQU 
HISTORICAL    ADDRESS 

Delivered  in  Adams  Chapel, 
December  7,  1886. 


FIFTY  YEARS 

OF    THE 

UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY 

IN  THE   CITY   OF  NEW  YORK. 


I. 

THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARIES    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES. 

n^HE  Theological  Seminary  in  tins  country  may 
be  regarded  as  one  of  the  characteristic  institu- 
tions of  American  Christianity.  It  is  mainly  the 
growth  of  our  own  soil  during  the  present  century. 
There  are  in  the  United  States  not  less  than  one 
hundi'ed  and  forty  schools  of  divinity,  only  two  or 
three  of  which  date  further  back  than  1800,  and 
more  than  half  of  which  have  been  organized  within 
the  last  forty  years.  These  schools  represent  all 
Protestant  denominations,  as  well  as  the  Church  of 
Rome,  and  they  are  found  in  every  part  of  the 
Union.  In  them  the  spiritual  guides  and  teachers 
of  the  American  people  are  chiefly  trained ;  not  only 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  in  the  strictest  sense,  whether 
bishops,    pastors,   or   evangelists,   but   editors   of  the 


4  THE    UXIOX  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

religious  press,  college  presidents  and  professors, 
secretaries  of  ecclesiastical  boards  and  other  associ- 
ations for  advancing  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth, 
are  mostly  graduates  of  these  institutions.  It  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  our  theological  seminaries,  to 
a  very  large  extent,  have  in  their  keeping  the  most 
precious  interests  of  faith,  piety,  and  sacred  learning 
in  the  United  States.  While  differing  radically  as 
to  polity  and  doctrine,  they  are  nearly  all  agreed  in 
asserting  the  divine  origin  and  claims  of  Christianity, 
the  ruling  authority  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  spirit- 
ual nature  and  destiny  of  man,  as  also  the  vital  con- 
nection between  his  character  and  manner  of  life  here 
and  his  eternal  well-being.  Their  influence  in  tlie 
whole  domain  of  belief  and  conduct  is  both  formative 
and  controlling.  In  the  matter  of  education  for  the 
ministry  they  show  a  revolution  like  that  which  has 
taken  place  in  other  great  spheres  of  professional  train- 
ing. The  divinity  schools  of  the  last  century  were 
mostly  in  the  studies  and  parishes  of  eminent  theolo- 
gians, who  at  the  same  time  were  often  country  pas- 
tors, —  such  men,  for  example,  as  Bellamy,  Smalley, 
Hopkins,  and  Emmons  in  New  England;  the  divinity 
schools  of  the  present  are  in  or  near  the  great  centres 
of  population,  where  the  throbbing,  busy  life  of  the 
nation  is  going  on ;  they  are  permanent  institutions  of 
sacred  learning. 


I 


ORIGIN  AND  DESIGN. 


II. 


ORIGIN   AND    DESIGN    OF    THE    UNION    THEOLOGICAL 
SEMINARY. 

We  celebrate  to-day  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary.  In  reviewing-  its  his- 
tory I  shall  touch  only  briefly  upon  the  points  so 
fully  treated  by  my  colleague,  President  Hitchcock, 
in  his  address  at  the  dedication  of  these  buildings 
two  years  ago.  It  is  not  my  business  to  ''  gild  refined 
gold."  The  character  of  an  institution,  like  that  of 
an  individual,  is  apt  to  be  determined  in  its  origin 
and  early  years.  Certainly,  this  has  been  the  case 
with  the  Union  Seminary.  It  is  now  essentially  what, 
fifty  years  ago,  it  was  intended  to  be.  It  has,  indeed, 
grown  and  prospered  far  beyond  the  hopes  of  its 
founders ;  but  it  has  grown  and  prospered  largely 
along  the  lines  they  marked  out,  and  in  the  spirit  in 
which  it  was  planned.  The  time  and  the  circum- 
stances of  its  beginning  were  alike  fortunate,  —  I 
should  rather  say,  providential.  Had  it  been  estab- 
lished seven  or  eight  years  earlier,  as  almost  happened, 
it  would  have  been  in  direct  antagonism  to  another 
seminary.  Had  it  been  established,  on  the  other 
hand,  a  few  years  later,  its  design  would  in  all  proba- 
bility have  been  far  less  catholic,  if  not  distinctly  par- 
tisan.    In  a  letter  dated  New  York,  June  5,  1827,  the 


6  THE    UNION  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

Rev.  Dr.  John  Holt  E-ice  of  Prince  Edward  County, 
Viro-inia,  one  of  the  best  and  wisest  men  in  the  Pres- 
byterian  Church  of  that  day,  makes  this  striking 
statement :  — 

While  all  the  brethren  appear  to  regard  me  with  great 
personal  affection,  neither  of  the  parties  are  entirely  cordial 
to  me.  The  Princeton  people  apprehend  that  I  am  approxi- 
mating to  Auburn  notions ;  and  the  zealous  partisans  of  New 
England  divinity  think  me  a  thorough-going  Princetonian. 
So  it  is !  And,  while  there  is  much  less  of  the  unseemly  bit- 
terness and  asperity  which  brought  reproach  on  the  Church 
in  past  times,  I  can  see  that  the  spirit  of  party  has  struck 
deeper  than  I  had  ever  supposed.  And  I  do  fully  expect  that 
there  will  be  either  a  strong  effort  to  bring  Princeton  under 
different  management,  or  to  build  up  a  new  seminary  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  York,  to  counteract  the  influence  of  Princeton. 
One  or  the  other  of  these  things  will  assuredly  be  done  before 
long,  unless  the  Lord  interpose  and  turn  the  hearts  of  the 
ministers. 

In  another  letter,  dated  June  15,  he  writes :  — 

I  should  not  be  surprised  if,  next  year,  we  should  hear  of  a 
seminary  for  the  vicinity  of  New  York.  I  cannot  tell  you  in 
a  letter  all  that  I  have  learned  here,  but  you  shall  know  when 
I  see  you. 

Dr.  Rice  does  not  name  the  ministers  who,  he  says, 
contemplated  building  up  a  new  seminary  to  counter- 
act the  influence  of  Princeton.  It  is  plain,  however, 
that  he  could  not  have  had  in  mind  the  most  of  those 
who  eight  years  later  took  part  in  founding  this  insti- 
tution ;  for  they  were  not  then  settled  in  New  York. 


ORIGIN  AND  DESIGN.  7 

The  period  between  1827  and  1836  abounded  in 
trouble  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  More  and  more 
the  theological  atmosphere  became  charg-ed  with  sus- 
picion and  bitterness.  Old  quarrels  grew  sharper  than 
ever.  New  quarrels  sprung  up.  During  these  years 
the  controversies  about  "  New^  Divinity,"  "  New  Haven 
Theology,"  ''New  England  Divinity,"  "New  Meas- 
ures," "Protracted  Meetings,"  "Ecclesiastical  Boards," 
"  Voluntary  Societies,"  and  the  like,  were  in  full 
blast.  The  memorable  trials  of  George  Duffield, 
Albert  Barnes,  and  Lyman  Beecher  for  heresy  belong 
to  the  same  period.  These  controversies  and  heresy 
trials  —  to  say  nothing  here  of  the  slavery  question 
—  aroused  passions  that  wrought  powerfully  in  two 
ways ;  while  hastening  the  di\dsion  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  they  at  the  same  time  impressed  not 
a  few  thoughtful  and  good  men,  especially  among 
the  laity,  with  a  deep  feeling  of  the  evil  effect  of 
such  strife  upon  the  interests  of  Christian  piety  and 
evangelism,  —  a  feeling  intensified  by  the  great  re- 
vivals of  1829-33.  To  men  of  this  class  the  heated 
discussions  of  the  day  were  exceedingly  distasteful. 
"The  evangelical  men,"  wrote  Dr.  Rice  in  1829,  "are 
disputing,  some  for  old  orthodoxy,  and  some  for  new 
metaphysics." 

But  meanwhile  the  conflict  waxed  more  violent. 
Among  the  advocates  of  "  old  orthodoxy  "  some  were 
very  dogmatical  and  overbearing  in  their  tone;  the 
advocates  of  "  new  metaphysics,"  on  the  other  hand, 


8  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

were  tempted  to  retort  in  a  spirit  anything  but  con- 
ciliatory. Nor  was  the  strife  confined  to  the  pulpit 
and  the  religious  press :  it  invaded  meetings  of  Pres- 
bytery, Synod,  and  General  Assembly,  and  became 
at  length  a  determined  struggle  for  ecclesiastical  su- 
premacy. Two  years  before  this  struggle  culminated 
in  the  great  disruption  of  1838,  the  Union  Seminary 
was  planned  and  organized.  But  although  built  up 
in  troublous  times,  it  was  as  a  training  school  and 
rallying  point  for  men  of  peace,  not  of  war. 

It  is  the  design  of  the  founders  to  provide  a  Theological 
Seminary  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  and  most  growing  com- 
munity in  America,  around  which  all  men  of  moderate  views 
and  feelings,  who  desire  to  live  free  from  party  strife,  and  to 
stand  aloof  from  all  extremes  of  doctrinal  speculation,  practical 
radicalism,  and  ecclesiastical  domination,  may  cordially  and 
affectionately  rally. 


III. 


THE    FOUNDERS    OF    THE    UNION    THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY 
AS   PLANNED    AND    ORGANIZED. 

Such  was  the  design  of  the  founders,  as  described 
by  themselves.  Who  were  the  founders  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary?  Fortunately,  its  official  rec- 
ords furnish  a  clear  answer  to  the  question.  And  it 
seems  to  me  only  right  that  on  this  occasion  these  rec- 
ords should  be  allowed  to  speak  for  themselves.  Here 
are  the  minutes  of  the  earliest  formal  meeting :  — 


FOUNDERS   OF   THE  INSTITUTION.  9 

New  York,  October  10,  1835. 
At  a  meeting  of  a  few  gentlemen  convened,  by  mutual  un- 
derstanding, at  the  house  of  Knowles  Taylor,  Esq.,  to  take 
into  consideration  the  expediency  of  establishing  a  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  in  the  city  of  New  York. 
Present: 
Knowles  Taylor,  Esq.  Rev.  Absalom  Peters,  D.  D. 

Richard  T.  Haines,  Esq.  Rev.  Henry  White. 

Abijah  Fisher,  Esq.  Rev.  William  Patton. 

AVilliam  M.  Halsted,  Esq.  Rev.  Erskine  Mason. 

Marcus  Wilbm-,  Esq. 

Opened  with  prayer. 

Knowles  Taylor  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  the  Rev. 
Erskine  Mason  was  appointed  Secretary.  After  a  free  in- 
terchange of  views  upon  the  subject,  it  was  unanimously 

Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient,  depending  on  the  blessing 
of  God,  to  attempt  to  establish  a  Theological  Seminary  in 
this  city. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  as  a  "  Committee 
of  Ways  and  Means"  to  take  this  subject  into  further  consid- 
eration, with  power  to  call  a  meeting  as  soon  as  they  shall  be 
able  to  report. 

Messrs.  K.  Taylor,  R.  T.  Haines,  and  W.  M.  Halsted  were 
appointed  this  committee. 

Adjourned.     Concluded  with  prayer. 

Erskine  Mason,  Secretary. 

The  second  meeting  was  held  on  October  19,  1835, 
when  in  addition  to  those  ah-eady  named  there  were 
present  Fisher  Howe,  John  Nitchie,  Lowell  Holbrook, 
James  C.  Bliss,  M.  D.,  and  Cornehus  Baker.  Again 
Knowles  Taylor  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  the 
Eev.  Erskine  Mason  was  appointed  Secretary.  The 
Committee    of  Ways    and    Means    having    reported 


10  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

progress  and  been  continued,  the  minutes  proceed  as 
follows :  — 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  draft  an  exhibit 
of  the  reasons  calling  for  the  contemplated  institution,  and 
also  an  outhne  of  a  plan  of  instruction  to  be  pursued.  The 
Rev.  Messrs.  Mason,  Peters,  Patton,  Wliite,  and  John  Nitchie, 
Esq.,  were  appointed  as  this  committee. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  suggest  the 
best  mode  of  organizing  a  board  of  directors  for  this  institu- 
tion. Messrs.  Taylor,  Nitchie,  Baker,  and  Halsted,  and  Rev. 
Dr.  Peters,  were  appointed  this  committee.  Adjourned  to 
meet  on  Monday,  26th  instant,  at  7^  o'clock,  at  the  house  of 
Knowles  Taylor,  Esq. 

Concluded  with  prayer. 

Erskine  Mason,  Secretary. 

Let  me  speak  briefly  of  these  men  and  of  their 
qualifications  for  the  task  before  them. 

Absalom  Peters  stands  first  among  the  four  minis- 
ters of  the  Gospel.  He  belonged  to  an  old  Puritan 
stock,  learned  in  his  boyhood,  on  a  New  Hampshire 
farm,  how  to  endure  hardness,  and  grew  up  in  such 
physical  soundness  and  vigor  that  until  more  than 
threescore  and  ten  years  old  he  is  said  never  to  have 
known  a  sick  day.  The  high  reputation  which  he 
enjoyed  at  this  time  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact, 
that  on  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Griffin,  in  1836,  Dr. 
Peters  Avas  chosen  to  succeed  him  as  President  of 
Williams  College.  Upon  his  declining  the  call,  Mark 
Hopkins  was  appointed.  He  possessed  a  keen  in- 
tellect,  strong  will,   patient   energy,   and   uncommon 


FOUNDERS   OF   THE  INSTITUTION.  H 

administrative  ability,  combined  with  literary  culture, 
good  learning-,  and  whole-hearted  zeal  for  the  advance- 
ment of  Christ's  kingdom  in  the  w^orld;  nor  was  he 
without  a  touch  of  the  poetical  temperament.  In  the 
ecclesiastical  conflicts  of  fifty  years  ago,  he  took  rank 
among  the  leaders.  Had  he  devoted  himself  to  a  mili- 
tary  career,  as  at  one  time  he  intended,  his  name 
might  have  become  famous  as  a  general ;  and  he  was 
equally  fitted  to  win  a  foremost  place  at  the  bar,  on 
the  bench,  or  in  political  life.  Cool,  sagacious,  fear- 
less, and  master  of  his  case,  he  was  well  qualified  to 
cope  on  the  floor  of  the  General  Assembly,  as  he  did 
in  the  stormy  sessions  of  1836-37,  with  such  debaters 
as  John  and  Robert  J.  Breckenridge  and  William  S. 
Plumer. 

The  opponents  of  voluntar}^  societies  and  of  New 
England  ideas  regarded  Dr.  Peters  with  no  little 
dislike,  as  well  as  fear.  At  the  '*  nod  of  the  arch- 
magician,''  as  he  was  called,  votes  were  suj^posed  to 
be  given  or  withheld  in  the  General  Assembly.  I 
remember  how  in  my  boyhood  the  changes  were 
rung  upon  his  name  as  an  adroit  ecclesiastical  man- 
ager and  wire-puller.  He  was  equalled  by  few  men 
of  his  generation,  I  doubt  if  any  one  surpassed  him, 
as  an  organizer  and  advocate  of  Home  Mission  work 
in  the  United  States ;  and  the  same  qualities  that 
made  him  so  useful  as  a  founder  and  early  secretary 
of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  rendered 
him  invaluable  as  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Union 


12  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

Theological  Seminary.  He  was  on  the  committee  to 
set  forth  the  design  of  the  institution,  and  propose  a 
plan  of  instruction ;  he  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee on  organization,  and  he  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  which  prepared  the  constitution.  This 
Seminary  is  bound  to  hold  the  name  of  Absalom 
Peters  in  lasting  honor. 

Henry  White  is  the  second  name.  He  was  at  this 
time  pastor  of  the  Allen  Street  Presbyterian  Church, 
to  which  he  had  been  called  in  1828.  I  shall  have 
occasion  to  speak  of  him  later  as  a  Professor  in  the 
Seminary.  His  services  as  one  of  its  founders  were 
of  the  utmost  value.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that,  in 
the  various  meetings  and  consultations  which  issued 
in  its  establishment,  he  exerted  a  constant,  wise,  and 
shaping  influence.  He  possessed  an  uncommonly 
sound  judgment,  was  at  once  prudent  and  sagacious, 
had  great  tenacity  of  purpose,  and  enjoyed  in  a  high 
degree  the  confidence  of  the  laymen  who  were  enlisted 
in  the  movement.  Several  of  them  were  his  intimate 
friends  and  elders  in  the  Allen  Street  Church. 

William  Patton  is  the  third  name.  He  was  a 
man  of  large  and  generous  views,  strong  in  his  con- 
victions of  right  and  duty,  as  well  as  bold  in  asserting 
them ;  a  natural  enemy  of  wrong,  oppression,  and 
intolerance :  one  of  the  earliest  and  ablest  advocates 
of  the  temperance  reform ;  an  ardent  patriot,  whether 
at  home  or  abroad,  and  a  firm  believer  in  the  provi- 
dential mission  and  destiny  of  the  American  people. 


FOUNDERS   OF   THE  INSTITUTION.  13 


He  suggested  the  assembling  of  the  convention  wliieh 
in  1846  organized  in  London  the  Evangelical  Alli- 
ance, and  went  himself  as  a  delegate  from  America 
to  that  convention.  As  one  of  the  founders  of  this 
institution,  he  is  in  a  special  manner  entitled  to  our 
remembrance  to-day.  If  not  the  first  to  suggest  a 
theological  seminary  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York, 
he  seems  to  have  been  the  first  to  suggest  one  in 
New  York  itself.  In  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Edwin  F. 
Hatfield,  D.D.,  written  in  1876,  he  relates  that  Dr. 
Peters  called  upon  him  one  day  to  consult  him  as  to 
the  best  disposition  of  some  funds,  which  Mr.  H.,  a 
well  known  gentleman,  held  in  his  hands  and  desired 
to  appropriate  to  a  good  object. 

I  at  once  said,  "Let  the  funds  be  given  to  commence  a  theo- 
logical seminary  in  this  city,"  for  I  had  been  thinking  on  this 
subject.  Dr.  Peters  said,  "  That  will  never  do,  it  is  no  place 
for  a  seminary,"  and  made  a  number  of  objections.  I  then 
argued  the  matter  with  him,  to  prove  tliat  a  great  city  is 
exactly  the  place,  as  furnishing  enlarged  and  available  means 
of  support  to  the  indigent,  by  teaching  singing  in  churches, 
playing  on  organs,  etc. ;  also  means  of  practical  usefulness, 
while  studying,  bringing  the  student  away  from  the  cloistered 
life  of  the  colleges  and  seminaries  in  the  country,  and  intro- 
ducing them  into  the  masses  of  men  among  whom  they  must 
work  as  ministers ;  that  it  would  be  a  good  trial  of  their  piety 
and  fidelity,  and  that,  if  any  failed,  it  would  be  better  to  have 
them  fail  then  than  later.  I  so  far  overcame  Dr.  Petcrs's  ob- 
jections as  to  name  the  plan  to  Mr.  H,^     "We  called  in  the 

^  Mr.  II.,  however,  seems  not  to  have  regarded  it  with  favor,  for  the 
funds  in  his  hands  were  never  obtained. 


14  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

counsel  of  R.  T.  Haines,  Wm.  M.  Halsted,  and  perhaps  C.  O. 
Halsted.  The  result  was  the  determination  to  raise  $75,000, 
that  is,  115,000  a  year  for  five  years,  as  an  experiment ;  and 
if,  at  the  end  of  this  time,  the  experiment  was  not  successful, 
then  to  close  up,  but  if  successful,  to  go  on. 

Dr.  Patton  adds,  that  he  personally  secured  850,000 
of  the  original  subscription,  by  application  to  moneyed 
men,  and  by  argument  convincing  them  of  the  desira- 
bleness of  the  plan.  To  show  his  confidence  in  the 
scheme  he  himself  subscribed  $500.  He  was  active 
also  in  all  the  early  meetings ;  his  views  were  defi- 
nitely embodied  in  the  preamble  to  the  constitution 
of  the  Seminary,  and  for  many  years  he  was  a  most 
efficient  member  of  its  Board  of  Directors. 

Erskine  Mason  is  the  fourth  name.  His  father  was 
the  renowned  Dr.  John  M.  Mason,  the  friend  of  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  an  eminent  divine,  and  one  of  the 
first  pulpit  orators  of  the  age.  To  Erskine  Mason, 
then  thirty-one  years  old,  was  assigned  the  task  of 
giving  written  expression  to  the  views  and  aim  of  the 
founders  of  the  Seminary.  Nor  was  there,  perhaps, 
another  man  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  better  quali- 
fied for  the  task  by  training,  solid  sense,  intelligent 
zeal  for  the  cause  of  Christian  truth  and  learning, 
freedom  from  theological  partisanship,  greatness  of 
soul,  and  the  habit  of  taking  wide,  far-reaching  out- 
looks in  the  interest  of  the  Gospel. 

Notwithstanding  his  modesty  and  reserve,  he 
swayed  men's  minds  alike  by  innate  force  of  charac- 


FOUNDERS   OF  THE  INSTITUTION.  15 

ter  and  by  the  strength  of  his  judgment.  Such  mas- 
ters in  the  law  as  Chancellor  Kent  and  George  Wood 
of  New  York,  and  Randall  and  Meredith  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, were  glad  to  take  counsel  with  him  in  the  legal 
discussion  and  contest  that  followed  the  disruption; 
and  there  was  no  one,  we  are  told,  to  whose  advice  they 
and  his  brethren  paid  so  much  of  respectful  deference. 
The  preamble  to  our  constitution,  as  I  have  intimated, 
was  prepared  by  him ;  and  although  aided  in  com- 
mittee by  Drs.  Patton,  Peters,  and  White,  and  that  ex- 
cellent layman,  John  Nitchie,  it  must  yet  be  regarded 
as  essentially  his  work.  Its  tone  of  wise  moderation, 
its  dignity  and  condensed  vigor  of  thought  and  ex- 
pression, and  its  whole  spirit,  are  characteristic  of  him. 
''  Nothing,  my  brethren,  is  great  in  this  world  but  the 
kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ :  nothing  but  that,  to  a  spir- 
itual eye,  has  an  air  of  permanency."  This  grand  sen- 
timent, uttered  in  one  of  his  sermons,  inspired  him  in 
setting  forth  the  design  of  the  new  seminary. 

Such  were  the  four  ministers  to  whom  we  owe  to- 
day so  large  a  debt  of  grateful  recognition.  One  of 
them  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  one  of 
Pennsylvania ;  the  other  two  were  natives  of  New 
York.  All  four  had  pursued  their  theological  studies 
at  Princeton,  either  wholly  or  in  part.  Two  of  them 
were  at  the  time  pastors ;  one,  secretary  of  the  Cen- 
tral American  Education  Society;  another,  secretary 
of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society ;  while  all 
were   deeply   imbued   with   the   spirit   of  home   and 


16  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

world-wide  evangelism,  which  so  signally  marked  the 
times. 

Associated  with  these  eminent  clergymen  as  found- 
ers of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  were  some  of 
the  most  prominent  Christian  laymen  of  New  York 
and  Brooklyn. 

Knowles  Taylor  stands  first  in  the  list.  It  is 
praise  enough  to  say  of  him,  that  before  reaching 
the  age  of  thirty  he  had  been  an  intimate  friend 
and  correspondent,  as  well  as  trusted  counsellor,  of 
Dr.  John  Holt  Rice,  of  Virginia.  Dr.  Rice's  memoir 
of  his  brother,  James  Brainerd  Taylor,  —  a  young 
man  of  extraordinary  piety  and  zeal  to  win  sods 
for  Christ, — is  doubtless  known  to  many  of  you. 
Years  before,  Mr.  Taylor  had  taken  a  lively  interest  in 
the  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  Virginia,  contrib- 
uting liberally  toward  its  endowment,  and  becoming 
familiar,  through  the  letters  and  conversation  of  Dr. 
Rice,  with  the  claims  and  importance  of  such  institu- 
tions. He  was,  I  think,  one  of  the  founders,  and 
almost  from  the  first  had  been  the  treasurer  of  the 
American  Home  Missionary  Society.  The  first  formal 
meeting  of  those  interested  in  the  question  of  estab- 
lishing a  theological  seminary  in  New  York,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  held  at  his  house. 

The  name  of  Richard  T.  Haines  follows  that  of 
Knowles  Taylor.  In  mentioning  this  honored  name, 
I  am  tempted  to  stop  and  ask  myself  the  question, 
whether  without  Richard  T.  Haines  the  Union  Theo- 


FOUNDERS   OF   THE  INSTITUTIOX.  17 

logical  Seminary  in  New  York  would  ever  have  ex- 
isted,—  whether,  at  all  events,  it  would  have  long 
continued  to  exist.  And  if  the  name  of  William 
M.  Halsted  be  joined  to  his,  the  question  would  not 
be  a  fanciful  one.  These  two  noble  men  —  partners 
in  business  and  partners  in  the  service  of  Christ  — 
were  pillars  of  strength  to  the  infiint  institution.  As 
their  liberality  and  wisdom  helped  to  found  it,  so 
through  years  of  poverty  and  trial  they  joined  hands 
in  sustaining  it.  They  were  among  the  most  solid 
merchants  of  New  York;  their  house  remained  up- 
right even  amidst  the  financial  cyclone  of  1837;  and 
the  qualities  that  gave  them  their  steadfast  position  in 
the  mercantile  world  —  the  same  persistent  energy, 
prudence,  and  fidelity  —  were  exercised  in  behalf  of 
the  Union  Seminary.  For  thirty  years  Mr.  Haines  was 
President  of  its  Board  of  Directors  ;  for  five  and  thirty 
years  one  of  its  most  judicious  and  efiicient  friends. 
From  the  moment  when  Drs.  Patton  and  Peters  to- 
gether sought  his  counsel  to  the  day  of  his  death,  his 
devotion  to  it  knew  no  change  except  to  grow  stronger. 
Mr.  Halsted  was  Treasurer  of  the  Seminary  from  its 
beginning  until  1845  ;  and  in  this  caj^acity  watched 
over  its  interests  as  if  they  had  been  his  own. 

Abijah  Fisher  was  already  well  known  in  the  re- 
ligious and  benevolent  circles  of  New  York.  From 
the  first  he  was  a  Director  of  the  Seminary,  and  as 
such  rendered  it  faithfid  service  for  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century. 


18  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

Marcus  Wilbur  was  a  warm-hearted  Christian  mer- 
chant, —  an  elder  in  the  Bleecker  Street  Presbyterian 
Church.  I  have  a  pleasant  remembrance  of  him  as, 
twenty  years  later,  my  own  parishioner  and  friend. 
But  his  connection  with  the  founding  of  Union  Semi- 
nary was  very  slight.  His  name  occurs  but  once  in 
its  records. 

At  the  second  meeting,  when  the  two  committees 
on  the  design  and  plan  of  instruction  of  the  con- 
templated institution,  and  on  its  organization,  were 
appointed,  five  additional  laymen,  as  we  have  seen, 
took  part  in  the  proceedings.  One  of  them,  Fisher 
Howe,  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  from 
the  beginning  until  his  death,  in  1871, — a  period  of 
thirty-five  years.  Tlie  Seminary  had  no  truer  friend. 
In  manifold  ways  he  rendered  it  important  service. 
He  had  the  instincts  of  a  scholar,  and  was  in  special 
sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  investigation  in  all  de- 
partments of  Biblical  study  and  research.  Of  liim,  and 
of  John  Nitchie,  James  C.  Bliss,  and  Cornelius  Baker, 
I  shall  speak  elsewhere.  Lowell  Holbrook  appears  to 
have  taken  no  further  part  in  the  movement. 

I  have  briefly  sketched  the  men  who  originated  and 
planned  this  school  of  divinity.  But  it  had  still  other 
founders,  —  tlie  men  who,  approving  of  the  plan, 
adopted  it  as  their  own  and  helped  to  carry  it  into 
efi'ect.  This  brings  us  to  the  organization  and  actual 
establishment  of  the  Seminary.  No  sooner  was  the 
plan  completed  than  other  leading  Presbyterian  min- 


FOUNDERS   OF  THE  INSTITUTION.  19 

isters,  tog-ether  with  other  leading  laymen  of  New 
York  and  Brooklyn,  were  invited  to  join  in  the  move- 
ment. The  most  of  them  accepted  the  invitation,  and 
were  present  at  one  or  all  of  the  next  three  meetings. 
Among'  this  number  were  such  clergymen  as  Thomas 
McAuley,  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  Ichabod  S.  Spencer, 
William  Adams,  John  C.  Brlgham,  Asa  D.  Smith,  and 
Henry  Gr.  Ludlow  ;  and  such  laymen  as  Charles  But- 
ler, Caleb  0.  Halsted,  John  L.  Mason,  Norman  White, 
and  Anson  G.  Phelps. 

At  the  fourth  meeting,  held  on  November  3,  after 
a  free  interchange  of  views,  it  was  again  ''  Resolved 
unanimously  that  it  is  expedient,  depending  on  the 
blessing  of  God,  to  attempt  to  establish  a  theological 
seminary  in  this  city."  At  this  meeting  the  committee 
on  organization  was  empowered  to  nominate  suitable 
persons  for  directors  of  the  new  institution. 

At  the  fifth  meeting,  held  on  November  9,  the  re- 
port of  the  committee  on  the  best  mode  of  organizing 
a  Board  of  Directors  having  been  made  and  adopted, 
the  following  clergymen,  nominated  by  this  committee, 
were  elected  Directors ;  namely,  Thomas  McAuley, 
Thomas  H.  Skinner,  Henry  Wliite,  E.  Mason,  I,  S. 
Spencer,  Absalom  Peters,  William  Patton,  William 
Adams,  E.  P.  Barrows,  H.  A.  Rowland,  W.  W.  Phillips, 
and  John  Woodbridge.  Drs.  Phillips  and  Woodbridge 
declined ;  all  the  rest  accepted. 

At  this  same  meeting  the  Committee  of  Ways  and 
Means  reported  that  ''  the  establishment  of  the  Semi- 


20  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

nary  would  involve  an  expense  of  $65,000,  or  $13,000 
per  annum  for  five  years,  supporting  during  that 
period  all  the  Professors,  and  at  its  expiration  leaving 
a  building  and  a  library  entirely  free  from  debt." 
A  subscription  paper  was  thereupon  presented  to  the 
meeting,  and  the  sum  of  $31,000  was  subscribed. 

At  the  sixth  meeting,  held  on  November  16,  Dr. 
Gardiner  Spring,  pastor  of  the  Brick  Church,  then  in 
the  height  of  his  influence  and  usefulness,  was  elected 
a  Director ;  but  after  attending  the  next  meeting,  he 
declined  the  appointment. 

The  following  laymen  were  also  elected;  namely, 
Knowles  Taylor,  R  T.  Haines,  William  M.  Halsted, 
Micah  Baldwin,  Cornelius  Baker,  Charles  Butler,  John 
Nitchie,  Fisher  Howe,  Joseph  Otis,  Leonard  Corning, 
and  Abijah  Fisher.  Later,  Caleb  0.  Halsted,  Pelatiah 
Perit,  and  Zechariah  Lewis  were  added  to  the  number. 
These  ten  clergymen  and  fourteen  laymen  constituted 
the  first  Board  of  Directors ;  no  others  were  appointed 
until  1837. 

IV. 

THE  SEMIXARY  EQUIPPED   AND   OPENED   FOR   INSTRUCTION. 
ITS    EARLY    TRIALS    AND    STRUGGLE    FOR    EXISTENCE. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  documents  in  our  ar- 
chives is  the  original  subscription-book.  The  first 
four  names  are  Knowles  Taylor,  William  M.  Halsted, 
Richard  T.  Haines,  and  Cornelius  Baker,  against  each 


ITS  EQUIPMENT  AND   OPENING.  21 

of  which  stands  the  sum  of  $5,000,  —  a  hirge  sum  in 
those  days.  Other  names  follow,  that  were  widely 
known  and  honored  then,  and  some  of  which  are  far 
more  widely  known  and  honored  now ;  such  names 
as  Charles  N.  Talbot,  S.  S.  Howland,  George  and  Na- 
thaniel Griswold,  Russell  H.  and  Rufus  Nevins,  Anson 
G.  Pheli^s,  William  E.  Dodge,  Charles  Butler,  Thomas 
H.  Skinner,  Henry  White,  William  Patton,  George  P. 
Shipman,  W.  AV.  Chester,  Norman  White,  P.  Perit,  F. 
Howe,  David  Leavitt,  Leonard  and  Jasper  Corning, 
John  G.  Nelson,  Gurdon  Buck,  L.  Holbrook,  T.  Mc- 
Auley,  Joseph  Otis,  John  L.  Mason,  Z.  Lewis,  E. 
W.  Morgan,  Alfred  Edwards,  G.  T.  Robhins,  Abijali 
Fisher,  Frederick  N.  Marquand,  and  Joseph  Brewster. 
The  subscriptions  were  to  be  binding  upon  reaching 
$60,000.  Fifty  thousand  dollars  had  been  secured 
when  the  great  fire  occTUTed,  on  the  night  of  De- 
cember 16,  1835,  by  which  more  than  five  hundred 
buildings  in  the  wealthiest  section  of  the  town  and 
$17,000,000  of  property  were  destroyed.  In  spite  of 
this  appalling  calamity  the  steadfast  purpose  of  the 
founders  remained  unshaken.  At  a  meeting  held  on 
January  11,  1836,  the  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means 
reported:  "Notwithstanding  the  late  calamity  which 
has  befallen  our  city  in  the  destruction  of  so  large  an 
amount  of  property  by  fire,  the  subscription  in  aid  of 
the  Seminary  is  now  binding,  amounting  to  the  sum 
of  $61,000." 

On  the  evening  of  January  18,  1836,  the  first  meet- 


22  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

ing  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  held  at  the  house  of 
tlie  American  Tract  Society,  in  Nassau  Street.  At  this 
meeting-  it  perfected  its  own  organization  by  the  choice 
of  officers  for  the  year,  appointed  its  committees,  and 
proceeded  forthwith  to  business.  The  name  of  the 
new  institution  was  "The  New  York  Theological 
Seminary."  Of  the  measures  which  were  taken  to 
give  it  a  "local  habitation,"  I  borrow  the  following 
interesting  account  from  Dr.  Hatfield's  Early  Annals 
of  Union  Theological  Seminary,  published  in  1876. 

A  plot  of  ground,  two  hundred  feet  square,  between  Sixth 
and  Eighth  Streets,  extending  from  Greene  to  Wooster  Streets, 
four  full  lots  on  each  street,  was  selected.  It  formed  a  part 
of  the  property  of  "  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,"  which  shortly 
before  had  been  located  in  the  old  Randall  mansion  on  Broad- 
way, above  Ninth  Street.  It  was  subject  to  an  annual  ground- 
rent  of  eight  hundred  dollars.  The  lease  was  purchased  for 
eight  thousand  dollars.  The  locality  was  well  up  town,  quite 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  Population  had  been  speeding 
from  what  was  then  familiarly  known  as  Greenwich  Village, 
along  the  Hudson  River,  northward ;  and,  in  like  manner, 
along  the  Third  Avenue,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city.  A 
few  improvements  had  been  made  along  the  Bloomingdale 
Road  from  its  junction  with  the  Bowery  Road,  at  Seventeenth 
Street,  to  the  House  of  Refuge,  which  stood  at  the  starting- 
point  of  the  old  Boston  Road,  on  the  westerly  side  of  the 
present  Madison  Square,  extending  to  the  present  Broadway, 
and  covering  the  site  of  the  Worth  Monument.  Union  Place, 
now  Union  Square,  had  just  been  opened,  at  the  forks  of 
Broadway  and  the  Bowery,  but  was  still  unimproved.  Eighth 
Street,  and  a  few  of  the  parallel  streets  above,  opened  but  a 
few  years  before,  were  beginning  to  exhibit  some  evidences  of 


ITS  EQUIPMENT  AND   OPENING.  23 

substantial  improvement.  With  these  exceptions,  vacant  lots, 
unpaved  streets,  primitive  roads  and  lanes,  open  fields,  and 
country  seats,  many  of  them  highly  cultivated  and  of  con- 
siderable extent,  covered  the  island  to  the  north,  as  far  as 
the  ancient  Dutch  village  of  Harlem.  The  New  York  of  tluit 
day  scarcely  extended  above  Tenth  Street,  the  original  termi- 
nus of  Broadway.     Beyond  was  the  open  country. 

The  General  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  some  ten  years  before,  had  been  erected  far 
out  of  the  city,  and  near  it,  on  Twentieth  Street,  an  Episco- 
pal chapel  (St.  Peter's)  of  small  capacity  had  been  erected 
in  1832.  Old  "  St.  Mark's "  occupied  its  present  site  on 
Tenth  Street,  near  Second  Avenue.  Two  or  three  mission 
stations,  in  advance  of  the  population,  were  struggling  for  a 
foothold  in  the  outlying  districts.  Excepting  these,  not  a 
church  edifice  of  any  description  was  to  be  found  on  the 
island,  below  the  villages  of  Bloomingdale  and  Harlem,  above 
Tenth  Street.  A  new  Presbyterian  church  had  just  been 
erected  in  Mercer  Street,  near  Eighth  Street,  which  for  many 
subsequent  years  was  the  "  Up-town  Church  "  of  the  denomi- 
nation. The  stately  structure  erected  for  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  on  the  block  below  the  new  purchase, 
had  just  been  occupied  in  part,  but  was  not  fully  completed. 
Wooster  Street  had  just  been  extended  to  Fourteenth  Street, 
and  the  part  above  the  University  widened  and  called  Jackson 
Avenue,  —  a  name  shortly  after  exchanged  for  University 
Place.  The  location  was  deemed  quite  eligible,  near  enough 
to  the  business  portion  of  the  city,  and  sufficiently  remote 
for  a  quiet  literary  retreat. 

The  next  step  was  to  secure  a  permanent  corps 
of  instructors.  For  the  chair  of  Theology  the  Rev. 
Justin  Edwards,  D.  D.,  was  chosen ;  and  for  the 
chair   of  Biblical   Literature,   Prof.   Joseph   Addison 


24  THE    UNION    THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

Alexander,  of  Princeton.  Both  appointments  were 
declined.  The  Rev.  Henry  \Yhite,  pastor  of  the  Al- 
len Street  Church,  was  then  called  to  the  Theological 
chair ;  and  Dr.  Thomas  McAuley  to  that  of  Pastoral 
Theology  and  Church  Government,  with  the  position 
of  President  of  the  institution.  The  chair  of  Biblical 
Literature  was  now  offered  to  Prof.  George  How,  of 
the  Tlieological  Seminary  at  Columbia,  S.  C. ;  and 
upon  his  declining,  Edward  Robinson,  D.  D.,  formerly 
of  Andover,  Mass.,  received  and  accepted  the  ap- 
pointment. Several  clerical  members  of  the  Board 
consented  to  act  as  Professors  Extraordinary.  Late  in 
November,  the  recorder  was  authorized  to  announce 
to  the  public  that  on  Monday,  the  5tli  of  December, 
1836,  the  Seminary  would  be  opened  for  instruction. 
On  tliat  day,  accordingly,  thirteen  young  men  ap- 
peared at  the  house  of  the  President,  No.  112  Leonard 
Street,  and  were  duly  enrolled  as  students  of  divinity. 
For  two  years  the  institution  was  necessarily  more  or 
less  "peripatetic."  "Now,"  says  Dr.  Hatfield,  "the 
young  gentlemen  are  seen  Avending  their  way  to  the 
house  of  the  President,  in  Leonard  Street;  the  day 
following  they  have  gathered  at  the  residence  of  Prof. 
White,  No.  80  Eldridge  Street;  the  third  dny  finds 
them  at  the  rooms  of  the  Presbyterian  Education 
Society,  No.  116  Nassau  Street,  drinking  in  the  erudi- 
tion of  Prof.  Robinson  ;  or,  in  his  absence,  profiting 
by  the  genial  instructio.ns  of  the  scholarly  George 
Bush,  at  his  study,  No.  115  Nassau  Street;  and  again 


ITS  EQUIPMENT  AND   OPENING.  25 

they  are  to  be  found  g-atliered  about  tlie  polished  and 
enthusiastic  Skinner,  in  his  quiet  retreat  in  the  chapel 
of  the  Mercer  Street  Church." 

But,  in  spite  of  these  disadvantages,  ten  additional 
students  were  enrolled  in  the  course  of  the  first  year. 
At  the  close  of  the  second  year  fifty-six  names  were 
on  the  Seminary  roll.  At  the  opening-  of  the  third 
year,  the  catalogue,  now  for  the  first  time  printed, 
showed  a  total  of  ninety-two  students,  thirty-two  of 
them  Juniors.  Thus  in  about  three  j^ears  from  the 
earliest  meeting  at  the  house  of  Knowles  Taylor, 
October  10,  1835,  the  new  Seminary  had  grown  into 
the  third  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  land,  only  Ando- 
ver  and  Princeton  outranking  it.  Sudden  growth, 
however,  is  not  always  healthy  growth.  The  Union 
Seminary  owes,  perhaps,  quite  as  much  to  the  sharp 
trials  as  to  the  brilliant  success  which  attended  its 
early  years.  Let  us  dwell  a  little  here  u^^on  these 
trials.  They  were  such,  essentially,  as  almost  always 
mark  the  beginning  of  a  great  work  for  Christ  and 
the  Church.  Bitter  as  they  were  at  the  time,  we  can 
now  look  back  upon  them  as  a  wholesome  discipline 
to  the  youthful  institution.  Dr.  Hatfield  thus  refers 
to  them :  — 

The  plans  having  at  length  been  completed  and  approved, 
contracts  were  made  for  the  erection  of  a  Seminary  building  on 
University  Place,  and  of  four  Professors'  houses  in  the  rear, 
on  Greene  Street.  Early  in  March,  1836,  the  work  was  fairly 
begun,  but  with  utterly  inadequate  resources.     The  original 


26  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

subscription  liad  reached  nearly  seventy  thousand  dollars  ;  but 
the  first  instalment,  payable  June  1, 1836,  had  yielded  scarcely 
more  than  ten  thousand  dollars,  four  fifths  of  which  had  been 
required  for  the  purchase  of  the  lease ;  the  ground  rent  and 
assessments  absorbed  nearly  three  fourths  of  the  small  re- 
mainder, leaving  almost  no  provision  for  the  payment  of  the 
salaries  of  the  three  Professors,  the  purchase  of  books,  and 
other  current  expenses.  The  great  fire  had  crippled  quite  a 
number  of  the  patrons  of  the  Seminary,  and  the  prospects  for 
the  second  instalment,  in  June,  1837,  were  anything  but 
promising.  Whence  were  the  funds  for  building  purposes  to 
be  derived  ?  Only  from  loans.  Further  subscriptions,  to  any 
considerable  extent,  were  out  of  the  question.  The  times 
were  now  adverse  in  the  extreme  for  new  enterprises.  Mr. 
Van  Burcn  had  just  succeeded  to  the  Presidency.  The  excit- 
ing era  of  land  speculations  had  come  to  an  end.  The  com- 
monwealth of  trade  and  commerce  had  lost  confidence  in 
the  policy  of  the  general  government.  Credit  was  destroyed. 
Trade  was  prostrate.  The  great  manufactories  were  sus- 
pended. The  demand  for  labor  ceased.  An  era  of  bank- 
ruptcy set  in.  Merchants  and  bankers,  after  a  while,  yielded 
to  the  storm.  House  after  house  went  down  in  hopeless 
ruin.  A  tremendous  panic  ensued.  The  land  was  convulsed. 
Every  bank  in  the  city  of  New  York  on  the  10th  of  May,  and 
immediately  after  every  bank  in  the  land,  suspended  specie 
payments.  It  was  no  time  to  borrow,  no  time  to  build.  It 
is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the  Directors  of  the  Seminary 
resolved,  April  26,  1837,  "  to  suspend  the  erection  of  the 
buildings  until  they  shall  possess  the  means  which  will  en- 
courage them  to  resume  the  task."  As  if  to  add  to  the  dis- 
tractions of  the  times  and  the  embarrassments  of  the  Board, 
the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly,  at  its  meeting  in  May,  at 
Philadelphia,  was  led  into  heated  and  angry  discussions,  and 
convulsed  with  party  strife.  The  excision  of  a  portion  of  its 
constituency  scattered  the  brands  of  discord  all  over  the  land, 


UNION    THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY. 

UNIVERSITY   PLACE. 


EARLY   TRIALS.  27 

kindling  the  flames  of  contention  throughout  the  denomina- 
tion. ...  It  was  a  year  of  deep  discouragement,  and  passed 
away  with  but  little  relief.  The  second  instalment  of  the  sub- 
scription had  produced  less  than  eight  thousand  dollars,  and 
the  prospects  for  the  following  year  were  even  less  hopeful. 
From  two  of  the  warm  friends  of  the  Seminary,  however, 
at  the  close  of  the  year,  loans  amounting  to  twenty-seven 
thousand  dollars,  secured  by  mortgage  on  the  grounds  and 
prospective  buildings,  were  obtained,  and  the  work  of  con- 
struction resumed.^ 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  that  during  this  period  of 
financial  disaster  and  discouragement  the  invaluable 
Van  Ess  Library,  of  which  I  shall  speak  later,  was 
purchased.  The  new  Seminary  building  was  dedicated, 
with  approj^riate  ceremonies,  December  12,  1838.  On 
the  27th  of  March,  1839,  the  Legislature  passed  an 
act  incorporating  the  institution  under  the  name  of 
The  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  the  City  of 
New  York.^ 

The  institution  entered  upon  its  fourth  year  by  en- 
rolling fifty -five  new  students,  the  most  of  whom  had 

1  The  Early  Annals  of  Union  Theological  Seminary,  pp.  12,  13. 

2  Dr.  Hatfield  thinks  that  this  name  was  "given  it  at  Albany,  to  dis- 
tinguish it,  jirobably,  f  rom  the  Episcopal  Seminary  of  Twentieth  Street, — 
a  name  not  desired,  much  less  chosen,  by  the  Board,  but  prophetic  of  the 
position  that  the  institution  has  ever  since  maintained."  Dr.  Hitchcock, 
on  the  other  hand,  in  his  Dedicatory  Address,  in  1884,  expressed  the  opin- 
ion that  it  was  sent  up  from  New  York,  and  "was  meant  to  be  a  monu- 
mental protest  against  the  unhappy  rending  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
1837,  as  also  both  a  prayer  and  a  prophecy  against  it."  I  am  myself  also 
of  the  opinion  that  the  name  originated  with  the  founders;  and,  fur- 
ther, that  it  was  suggested  by  that  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary 
in  Virginia,  which  some  of  them  were  familiar  with  and  had  helped  to 
establish. 


28  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

to  be  provided  with  lodgings  outside  of  the  Seminary 
building.  This  was  beyond  the  strongest  hopes  of  its 
friends.  Nobody  could  now  say  that  New  York  was 
not  at  least  a  very  attractive  place  to  young  men  pre- 
paring for  the  sacred  office.  But  while  the  number 
of  students  who  flocked  to  the  Seminary  surpassed 
the  largest  expectation  of  its  founders,  tlie  latter 
found  themselves  wholly  at  fault  in  their  financial 
plan  and  arrangements.  Not  more  than  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  of  the  original  subscription  had  proved 
available,  while  more  than  this  amount  had  been 
expended  at  the  end  of  the  tliird  year  of  instruc- 
tion. It  was  necessary,  therefore,  to  resort  to  loans, 
for  which  not  only  the  buildings,  but  the  Van  Ess 
Library,  were  mortgaged.  The  last  instalment  of  tlie 
subscription  would  hardly  suffice  to  meet  the  current 
expenses,  and  for  the  3'ears  beyond  no  provision  what- 
ever had  been  made.  In  this  exigency  the  Board  of 
Directors  appointed  a  financial  agent,  and  then,  call- 
ing together  the  pastors  of  the  city  and  vicinity  who 
were  in  sympatliy  w^ith  the  movement,  invited  them  to 
open  to  him  their  pulpits  and  to  aid  him  in  soliciting 
funds.  They  resolved  to  do  so,  and  in  the  course  of 
the  winter  a  fruitless  attempt  was  made  to  raise  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  By  February,  1840,  the  Treasurer, 
William  M.  Halsted,  had  advanced  over  and  above 
the  loans  more  than  sixteen  thousand  dollars,  while 
eight  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  had  been  re- 
ceived from  the   sale   of  one   of  the   four  Professors' 


EARLY  TRIALS.  29 

houses.  So  dark  was  the  prospect,  that  even  the  ques- 
tion of  abandoning-  the  enterprise  beg-an  to  be  agi- 
tated; and  had  not  its  friends  been  men  of  stron<r 
faith,  abounding  in  liope,  and  determined  in  purpose, 
such  woukl  doubtless  have  been  the  result.  For  two 
years  the  salaries  of  the  Professors  had  been  mostly 
unpaid,  and  one  of  them,  the  Professor  of  Theolog-y, 
Dr.  Hatfield  relates,  "  was  compelled  to  borrow  nearly 
a  year's  salary,  then  to  convert  his  home  into  a  board- 
ing--liouse,  to  become  the  stated  supply  of  a  pulpit, 
and  at  length  to  enter  upon  a  voluntary  agency  for  the 
solicitation  of  money  to  pay  his  very  moderate  salary." 
By  the  most  vigorous  efforts,  a  sufficient  sum  had  been 
pledged  by  subscription,  at  the  close  of  the  term  in 
May,  1840,  to  justify  the  Board  "in  continuing  the 
Seminary  in  operation  for  the  ensuing  year."  It  was 
continued,  however,  with  the  utmost  difficulty ;  for  the 
debt  grew  larger  day  by  day,  while  the  resources  of 
the  institution  were  every  day  growing  smaller. 

Toward  the  close  of  1840  it  was  determined  to  taise, 
if  possible,  a  permanent  fund.  For  this  pm-pose  a  sub- 
scription, payable  on  the  attainment  of  pledges  to  the 
amount  of  Sl20,000,  was  opened.  One  subscription 
of  S25,000,  two  of  $1,250,  eleven  of  $1000  each,  and 
others,  amounting  in  all  to  $90,000,  were  received, 
when,  to  the  grief  and  dismay  of  the  friends  of  the 
Seminary,  the  whole  movement  collapsed.  Pesort 
was  now  had  to  new  expedients.  In  addition  to  an- 
nual collections  in  the  churches,  "  agents   were  sent 


30  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

out  through  the  country,  soliciting  funds,  in  gifts  of 
one  dollar  and  upwards,  from  the  people  at  their 
homes,  in  their  warehouses  and  workshops,  on  their 
farms  and  in  their  factories."  Thus  the  struggle  for 
existence  was  kept  up  for  two  or  three  years  longer. 
But  at  length  it  became  quite  evident  that  such  expe- 
dients could  not  save  the  institution. 

We  pass  now  to  the  second  period  of  our  early 
financial  histor}^,  namely,  that  of  tentative,  partial 
endowment.  In  September,  1843,  a  public  meeting 
of  the  friends  of  the  Seminary  was  called,  and  an 
appeal  made  for  the  sum  of  $25,000  to  endow  the 
chair  of  Theology.  The  success  of  this  appeal  gave 
the  institution  its  first  permanent  fund.  But  to  col- 
lect the  subscriptions  to  this  fund,  to  pay  off  a  floating 
debt  of  nearly  $20,000,  and  to  meet  current  expenses, 
required  very  strenuous  exertions  for  years  to  come. 
Earlv  in  1844  it  was  proposed  to  transfer  the  insti- 
tution to  Brooklyn.  Several  residents  of  that  city,  on 
condition  of  such  transfer,  offered  to  contribute  ample 
funds  to  erect  there  a  Seminary  building  and  three 
dwelling-liouses  for  the  Professors.  The  Board  of 
Directors  declined  the  generous  offer ;  but  the  fact  of 
its  having  been  made  indicates  in  what  straits  they 
found  themselves. 

During  this  period  of  struggle  for  existence  the 
friends  of  the  Seminary  were  cheered  by  the  legacy 
of  Mr.  James  Roosevelt,  which  they  regarded  as  a 
special   favor  of  Providence.     ''A   grandson   of  this 


EARLY  TRTALS.  31 

eminent  citizen  had  been  carefully  trained  for  the 
priesthood  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  duly  or- 
dained. Having-  served  in  the  ministry,  first  at  Har- 
lem, N.  Y.,  and  then  at  Hagerstown,  Md.,  he  became 
so  thorough  a  ritualist  that  nothing  would  content 
him  but  the  Papacy,  which  presently  he  espoused. 
After  a  brief  novitiate  at  St.  Sulpice,  in  Paris,  he  was 
ordained  to  the  Roman  Catholic  priesthood  in  1842 
by  the  late  Archbishop  Hughes,  whose  secretary  he 
became  in  1846.  Shortly  after  this  latter  date  his 
venerable  grandfather  died,  and  it  was  found  that,  in 
consequence  of  this  change  of  faith,  the  inheritance, 
valued  at  about  $30,000,  originally  designed  for  the 
grandson,  had  been  devised  to  Union  Theological 
Seminary  in  the  city  of  New  York.  This  bequest  was 
contested,  successfully  at  first ;  but  the  provisions  of 
the  will  were  finally  sustained  by  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals. The  contestant  is  now  the  Roman  Catholic 
Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  Most  Rev.  James  R.  Bay- 
ley,  D.  D.,  and  his  forfeited  patrimony  has  done  excel- 
lent service  in  sustaining  this  Protestant  seminary."  ^ 

Before  passing  from  our  early  financial  trials  I  will 
give,  even  at  the  risk  of  some  repetition,  the  following 
vivid  reminiscences,  kindly  furnished  me  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Charles  Butler,  LL.  D., 
our  only  surviving  founder. 

The  period  from  1837  to  1850  was  one  of  extraordinary 
financial  difficulty  and  vicissitudes,  —  unparalleled,  indeed,  in 
1  The  Early  Annals  of  Union  Theological  Seminary,  pp.  18,  19. 


32  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

the  history  of  the  country.  The  existence  of  the  Seminary 
during  all  these  years  was  a  struggle  with  poverty  and  the 
difficulties  inseparable  from  poverty.  The  silver  lining  to 
the  cloud  which  hovered  over  us,  dark  and  threatening,  es- 
pecially from  1837  to  1812,  was  visible  only  to  the  eye  of 
faith  ;  and  while  faith  with  some  was  weak  and  often  wearied, 
yet  with  others  in  the  Board  at  this  time  it  was  not  only 
hopeful,  but  brilliant  even  in  the  darkest  hour.  I  can  recall 
in  memory,  but  cannot  describe,  the  feeling  which  pervaded 
and  was  reflected  in  the  countenances  of  members  when 
called  together  to  consider  what  could  be  done  to  meet  im- 
pending exigencies.  These  meetings  were  generally  attended 
by  the  Professors  as  well,  and  were  always  opened  and  closed 
with  prayer.  There  was  a  close  bond  of  union  between  the 
Faculty  and  the  members  of  the  Board.  The  tender  sym- 
pathy which  comes  ever  from  sharing  one  another's  bui'dens 
marked  their  deliberations,  and  was  evidenced  in  all  that  was 
said  and  done.  Prayer  and  supplication  for  Divine  support 
and  guidance  were  not  wanting.     Nor  were  they  fruitless. 

At  a  period  of  the  greatest  darkness,  on  the  1th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1812,  the  Directors  were  in  session,  and  a  communication 
came  to  them  from  Mr.  James  Boorman,  in  which  he  agreed 
to  contribute  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars  annually  for 
three  years,  to  support  a  Professor,  and  offered  further  im- 
mediately to  pay  two  thousand  dollars,  which  he  desired, 
irrespective  of  the  conditions  imposed  by  his  subscription, 
should  be  applied  at  once  to  the  salary  of  Dr.  Robinson, 
then  largely  in  arrears.  This  was  the  first  and  largest  annual 
subscription  ever  made  for  the  support  of  the  Seminary  by 
any  one  of  its  friends  up  to  this  time,  and  the  effect  was 
most  encouraging  alike  to  Directors  and  Professors.  Six 
years  later,  Mr.  Boorman  initiated  the  movement  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  Dr.  Skinner  to  the  chair  of  Sacred  Rhetoric, 
and  by  personal  effort  secured  the  means  to  cover  his  salary 
of  82,000  a  year  for  a  period  of  five  years,  in  advance  of  tlie 


EARLY  TRIALS.  33 

appointment.  Toward  this  he  himself  subscribed  !5^1,000  a 
year  for  the  period  named,  and  the  balance  was  made  up  by 
three  other  persons,  all  members  also  of  the  Mercer  Street 
Church ;  viz.  Anson  G.  Phelps,  Sen.,  $500  ;  Eli  Wainwright, 
$250  ;   Mrs.  Arthur  Bronson,  8250. 

In  April,  1850,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Finance  Committee  at 
the  house  of  Caleb  0.  Halsted,  the  estimate  required  for  the 
annual  support  of  the  Seminary,  including  the  salaries  of  four 
Professors  and  one  Assistant,  was  $10,900,  and  the  estimate 
of  available  assets,  or  resources,  was  $9,400,  from  all  sources. 
Of  this  sum  $4,000  was  counted  on  from  the  Mercer  Street 
Church  ;  $2,400  from  the  Roosevelt  legacy,  which  had  just 
been  decided  in  favor  of  the  Seminary ;  and  the  balance  of 
$3,500  it  was  hoped  might  be  collected  from  friends  and  all 
the  other  Presbyterian  churches.  As  the  result  of  the  delib- 
erations at  this  meeting,  it  was  resolved  to  open  a  subscrip- 
tion to  raise  the  sum  of  $11,000  annually  for  five  years;  but 
the  risk  and  uncertainty  of  such  a  plan,  involving  the  very 
existence  of  the  Seminary,  were  so  obvious,  that  early  in 
1852  the  Directors  resolved  if  possible  to  secure  an  endow- 
ment which  would  provide  for  the  salaries  of  the  Professors, 
then  fixed  at  the  moderate  sum  of  $2,000  a  year,  and  other 
indispensable  expenses. 

I  cannot  close  these  reminiscences  without  an  expression 
of  the  feeling  of  regard  and  affection,  often  too  deep  for  ut- 
terance, which  I  have  always  cherished  in  memory  of  two  of 
my  associates  in  the  Board,  who,  in  those  early  years  of  trial 
and  disappointment,  were  conspicuous  in  bearing  the  burden 
and  heat  of  the  day.  I  refer  to  William  M.  Halsted  and 
Richard  T.  Haines.  The  demand  for  means  to  sustain  the 
institution  during  this  period  of  extraordinary  commercial 
disaster  and  ruin  was  constant  and  pressing;  and  but  for 
the  support  rendered  by  these  two  noble  men  in  money  and 
credit,  it  must  inevitably  have  failed.  I  do  not  exaggerate 
the  importance  of  the  aid  which  they  rendered.     I  was  one 


34  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

of  the  Finance  Committee,  and  in  constant  intercourse  with 
them.  My  associate  Directors  of  the  period,  if  living,  would, 
I  am  sure,  unite  with  me  most  cheerfully  in  bearing  testi- 
mony to  the  unfaltering  patience  and  fortitude  with  which 
the  pecuniary  burden  was  carried  by  them,  at  great  inconve- 
nience and  sacrifice.  That  it  was  so  borne  by  them  was  not 
only  from  a  conviction  of  its  necessity  to  avert  bankruptcy, 
but  from  a  deeper  feeling  ;  namely,  that  on  it  depended  the 
maintenance  of  an  institution,  founded  in  faith  and  hope,  for 
the  training  of  ministers,  and  to  advance  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom  throughout  the  world.  In  other  words,  they  were 
prompted  by  Christian  zeal  and  piety,  for  which  they  were  so 
distinguished  in  their  lives. 

Such  are  some  of  the  pecuniary  trials  which  the 
Seminary  passed  through  during  the  first  eighteen 
years  of  its  existence.  Of  its  financial  history  during 
the  rest  of  the  half-century  I  shall  speak  later. 


V. 


EARLY    ECCLESIASTICAL    AND    THEOLOGICAL    POSITION 
OF    THE    SEMINARY. 

It  will  be  next  in  place  to  speak  of  the  early 
ecclesiastical  and  theological  position  of  the  Seminary. 
This  position  was  the  natural  result  of  the  providen- 
tial training  of  its  founders,  and  of  the  circumstances 
in  the  midst  of  which  they  found  themselves.  They 
were,  as  we  have  seen,  men  of  high  standing  and  large 
influence,  both  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  in  the 


EARLY  ECCLESIASTICAL  POSITION.  35 

whole  Christian  community.  Without  exception  tliey 
seem  to  have  been  inspired  by  two  ideas:  first,  the 
New  Testament  idea  of  the  church  as  a  company  of 
faithful  people,  vitally  united  to  Christ,  living  for  Him, 
and  doing  His  work  in  the  world  ;  secondly,  by  what 
I  may  call  the  American  religious  idea,  namely,  that 
our  country,  by  heritage  and  of  right,  belongs  to 
Christ,  and  that  it  is  the  first  business  of  His  Church, 
by  the  power  and  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  to  bring 
every  part  of  it  into  obedience  to  Him.  This  most 
urgent  business  they  believed  to  be  greatly  hindered 
by  the  contentious  and  divisive  spirit  that  ruled  the 
hour.  They  were  "men  of  moderate  views  and  feel- 
ings, who  desired  to  live  free  from  party  strife."  This 
desire  was  strengthened  by  the  trials  for  heresy  of 
Lyman  Beecher  and  Albert  Barnes,  wdiich  had  been 
going  on  while  they  themselves  were  conferring  to- 
gether respecting  the  establishment  of  a  new  theologi- 
cal seminary.  Dr.  Beecher  was  admired  and  honored 
by  them  as  the  champion  of  orthodoxy  in  its  memora- 
ble contest  with  Unitarianism,  as  the  bold  assailant  of 
intemperance,  and,  just  then,  as  the  Christian  patriot 
who,  on  the  verge  of  old  age,  had  left  one  of  the  first 
pulpits  in  New  England  and  himself  gone  out  as  a 
laborer  in  the  Great  Valley  of  the  West,  thus  setting 
an  example  that  surpassed  even  his  own  eloquent  pleas 
in  enforcing  the  claims  of  home  evangelism. 

The  case  of  Albert  Barnes  came  home  still  closer  to 
the  founders  of  this  Seminary.     Of  some  of  them  he 


36  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

was  the  intimate  personal  friend.  They  regarded  him 
as  an  eminently  useful  servant  of  Christ,  —  meek, 
upright,  and  God-fearing,  —  whose  preaching  had 
been  signally  blessed  in  the  conversion  of  souls.  His 
Notes  on  the  New  Testament  had  also  endeared  him, 
not  to  them  only,  but  to  their  families  and  to  thou- 
sands of  Cln-istian  people,  as  a  devout  and  very  help- 
ful hiterpreter  of  Holy  Scripture.  And  yet  he  was 
now  under  suspension  "  from  the  exercise  of  all  the 
functions  proper  to  the  Gospel  ministry."  Several 
of  them,  I  think,  had  again  and  again  supplied  his 
pulpit  while  his  own  voice  in  it  was  silenced.  Is  it 
strange  that  their  ideal  of  a  theological  seminary 
was  one  around  which  all  men,  who  desired  to  stand 
aloof  from  the  extremes  of  "ecclesiastical  domina- 
tion," might  cordially  rally? 

These  statements  will  serve  to  explain,  on  the  one 
hand,  the  original  autonomy  of  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  —  its  independence  of  ecclesiastical  control ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  fact  that,  after  the  dis- 
ruption of  the  Presb3^terian  Church,  it  belonged  to 
all  intents  and  purposes  to  the  New  School  branch, 
although  never  directly  subject  to  its  authority.  Not 
only  was  it  in  full  sympathy  with  the  New  School 
churches  of  New  York  and  vicinity,  but  it  was  sus- 
tained by  their  contributions,  and  in  the  persons  of 
its  Professors  was  represented  in  New  School  Pres- 
byteries, Synod,  and  General  Assembly.  It  was, 
however,  wholly  independent,  I  repeat,  of  direct  ec- 


EARLY   THEOLOGICAL  POSITION.  37 

clesiastical  control ;  and  so  it  continued  until  1870. 
At  that  time,  in  the  interest  of  reunion  and  of  lar^-er 
freedom  of  otlier  Theological  Seminaries,  whose  Pro- 
fessors had  heretofore  been  chosen  by  the  General 
Assembly,  it  generously  relinquished  a  portion  of  its 
own  autonomy.^ 

The  same  causes  that  fixed  thus  the  early  eccle- 
siastical position  of  the  Seminary  determined  also  its 
theological  character.  Its  founders,  ministers  and  lay- 
men alike,  were  practical  men,  with  definite  practical 
ends  in  view.  Not  one  of  them  regarded  himself,  or 
w^as  regarded  by  the  Christian  public,  as  a  theologi- 
cal leader ;  not  one  was  noted  as  a  religious  partisan. 
What  interested  them  far  more  than  the  local  con- 
troversies and  speculations  of  the  day  was  the  pro- 
gress of  the  kingdom  of  God  at  home  and  abroad.  For 
this  they  praj^ed  and  labored  continually.     For  this 

1  The  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  as  follows.  It  memorial- 
ized the  General  Assembly  of  1870  to  this  effect,  viz. :  "  That  the  General 
Assembly  may  be  pleased  to  adopt  as  a  rule  and  plan,  in  the  exercise  of 
the  proprietorship  and  control  over  the  General  Theological  Seminaries, 
that,  so  far  as  the  election  of  Professors  is  concerned,  the  Assembly  will 
commit  the  same  to  their  respective  Boards  of  Directors,  on  the  following 
terms  and  conditions:  First,  That  the  Board  of  Directors  of  each  Theo- 
logical Seminary  shall  be  authorized  to  appoint  all  Professors  for  the 
same.  Second,  That  all  sucli  appohitinents  shall  be  reported  to  the 
General  Assembly,  and  no  such  appointment  of  Professor  shall  be  con- 
sidered as  a  complete  election,  if  disapproved  by  a  majority  vote  of  the 
Assembly." 

The  Directors  further  declared  :  "  If  the  said  plan  shall  be  adopted  by 
the  General  Assembly,  that  they  will  agree  to  conform  to  the  same,  the 
Union  Seminary  in  New  York  being,  in  this  respect,  on  the  same  ground 
with  other  Theological  Seminaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Church." 

The  plan  was  adopted  by  the  General  Assembly  at  Philadelphia, 
June  1,  1870. 


38  THE    UNION    THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

they  gave  liberally  of  their  money,  time,  and  influ- 
ence. This  had  been  their  chief  object  in  establishing 
the  new  Seminary.  New  York  stood  foremost  as  a 
centre  of  American  evangelism.  It  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  American  Bible  Society,  the  Ameri- 
can Tract  Society,  the  American  Home  Missionary 
Society,  and  other  national  agencies  for  the  spread 
of  the  Gospel. 

New  York  was  also  a  religious  publishing  centre 
for  the  whole  country.  In  this  respect  the  previous 
decade  had  formed  a  new  era  in  its  history.  Not  to 
speak  of  the  numerous  and  excellent  volumes  issued 
by  the  American  Tract  Society,  select  works  of  some 
of  the  ablest  Puritan  divines  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, like  Howe,  Baxter,  and  Flavel,  were  reprinted; 
the  complete  works  of  President  Edwards  appeared ; 
the  writings  of  Robert  Hall  and  Isaac  Taylor,  who 
represented  the  old  Calvinistic  evangelical  fjiith  of 
England  with  such  originality  and  literary  power, 
were  republished.  These  last-named  authors,  who 
had  little  in  common  with  current  ecclesiastical  and 
doctrinal  disputes,  were  widely  read  by  laymen  as 
well  as  ministers,  and  did  much,  no  doubt,  to  give 
tone  and  character  to  the  religious  sentiments  which 
animated  the  founders  of  this  institution.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  Albert  Barnes.  If  they  did  not  agree 
with  all  his  views,  they  none  the  less  admired  the 
pious  good  sense,  clearness,  ability,  and  reverence 
with  which  he  unfolded  the  meaning  of  the  inspired 


EARLY   THEOLOGICAL  POSITION.  39 

oracles ;  and  they  sympathized  heartily  with  his  beau- 
tiful Christian  spirit.  It  is  to  be  remembered,  too, 
that  The  Observer  and  The  Evangelist  were  already 
established,  circulated  far  and  wide,  and  i)Owerfully 
influenced  opinion  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  on  tlie 
various  questions  —  whether  relating-  to  faitb,  morals, 
or  policy  —  by  wliich  it  was  agitated. 

Already,  too,  New  York  showed  signs  of  becoming 
a  seat  of  theological  culture.  In  January,  1834,  Leon- 
ard Woods,  Jr.,  a  member  of  its  Third  Presbytery 
and  a  young  New  Englander  of  rare  gifts,  had  started 
The  Literary  and  Theological  Review,  which  aimed  to  be 
an  organ,  at  once  liberal  and  conservative,  of  the  best 
thought  of  the  age.  The  first  three  volumes  of  this 
Review,  published  before  its  editor  was  transferred 
to  a  chair  in  the  Bangor  Theological  Seminary,  con- 
tain articles  that  now,  after  fifty  years,  are  fresh  and 
instructive.  Among  its  contributors  w^ere  such  men 
as  President  Humphrey,  Dr.  Sprague  of  Albany,  Drs. 
Leonard  Woods  and  Skinner  of  the  Andover  Semi- 
nary, Prof.  C.  E.  Stowe,  D.  R.  Goodwin,  now  Pro- 
fessor in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Divinity  School  at 
Philadelphia,  the  Rev.  C.  S.  Henry,  S.  G.  Howe  of 
Boston,  Cyrus  Hamlin,  Leonard  Withington,  Enoch 
Pond,  Theodore  Frelinghuysen,  and  others  tlien  or 
since  well  known  throughout  the  country.  Such  were 
some  features  of  the  immediate  environment  in  time 
and  place  and  ruling  influences,  that  helped  to  decide 
the  early  theological  position  of  the  Seminary. 


40  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

But  in  order  to  understand  tins  position  fully,  we 
should  also  consider  it  in  the  light  of  certain  general 
facts  in  the  history  of  American  Presbyterianism. 
From  the  first,  that  history  had  been  deeply  affected 
by  two  leading  tendencies.  Both  alike  went  back 
to  the  Long  Parliament,  which  ordered  and  adopted, 
and  to  the  Westminster  Assembly,  which  framed,  our 
standards.  But  while  they  had  in  so  far  a  common 
origin,  they  differed  not  a  little  in  character  and  in 
their  development  in  this  country.  One  had  wrought 
chiefly  through  the  Scotch,  or  Scotch-Irish,  element  in 
our  population ;  the  other,  rather  through  the  Puritan 
or  New  England  element.  For  the  most  part,  their 
natural  affinities  and  vital  points  of  agreement  caused 
them  to  coalesce  and  work  in  harmony,  as  in  the  first 
American  Presbytery.  But  now  and  then  they  came 
into  bitter  conflict.  Twice  the  antagonism  between 
them  issued  in  a  violent  rupture;  once  in  1741,  and 
again  in  1838.  Tlie  points  of  controversy  in  1741,  it 
is  true,  differed  materially,  as  well  as  in  name,  from 
those  of  1838 ;  still  the  same  leading  tendencies, 
modified  by  special  causes,  are  clearly  discernible. 
In  1741  it  was  ''Old  Side"  and  ^' New  Side,"  "Old 
Lights"  and  "New  Lights";  in  1838,  "  Old  School " 
and  "New  School." 

In  both  cases,  it  was  largely  a  conflict  between 
new  and  old,  —  between  the  progressive  and  conser- 
vative spirit ;  and  in  both  cases  the  ruling  tendencies 
still   wrought   largely   through   the  Scotch-Irish    and 


EARLY   THEOLOGICAL  POSITION.  41 

the  Puritan  or  New  England  elements.  And  then 
fifty  years  ago,  let  us  remember,  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  the  churches  of  New  England  were  in 
much  closer  relations  with  each  other  than  they  are 
to-day.  They  had  co-operated  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury in  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions ;  they  co-operated  in  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society,  in  the  Central  American 
Education  Society,  and  in  other  national  Evangelistic 
agencies.  Look  over  the  annual  reports  of  these  so- 
cieties between  1830  and  1836,  or  read  the  addresses 
made  at  their  anniversaries  in  this  city  during-  that 
period,  and  you  will  be  struck  with  the  fact  that 
a  state  of  thing-s  then  existed  of  which  few  vestio^es 
now  remain.  The  sharp  disputes  and  differences  of 
opinion  about  measures  and  policy,  about  orthodoxy 
and  about  slavery,  alluded  to  at  the  beginning  of  this 
address,  long  since  culminated,  spent  their  force,  and 
passed  away.  In  order,  however,  to  understand  the 
early  history  of  tins  Seminary,  they  must  be  con- 
stantly kept  in  mind. 

In  view  of  this  brief  exposition,  it  is  not  difficult 
to  answer  the  question.  How  happened  it  tliat  Union 
Seminary,  established  two  years  before  the  disrup- 
tion of  1838,  was  so  emphatically  on  the  New  School 
side  ?  For  the  simple  reason,  I  reply,  that  its  Pres- 
byterianism  was  mainly  of  the  type  that  had  been 
shaped  by  Puritan  and  New  England  influcnices. 
These  influences  had  been  most  potent  in  founding 


42  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

and  building  up  the  churches  upon  whose  sympathy 
and  support  the  Union  Seminary  so  long  depended 
for  its  very  existence  ;  and,  naturally,  the  same  in- 
fluences decided  its  doctrinal  position.  Of  its  original 
clerical  Directors,  a  single  one  only  found  himself, 
after  the  division,  in  the  Old  School  connection;  and 
he  had  recently  come  from  a  Congregational  pas- 
torate in  New  England,  and  was  in  full  accord  with 
the  motives  and  design  of  the  Seminary.  Its  close 
affinity  with  New  England  at  that  time  may  be  illus- 
trated by  the  fact,  that  in  choosing  its  first  Professor  of 
Systematic  Theology  the  Board  of  Directors  selected 
as  candidates  two  such  men  as  Heman  Humphrey, 
President  of  Amherst  College,  and  Justin  Edwards, 
afterwards  President  of  Andover  Seminary ;  and  that 
later,  upon  the  death  of  Dr.  White,  Mark  Hopkins, 
then  President  of  Williams  College,  was  unanimously 
elected  as  his  successor. 

But  when  I  speak  of  the  influence  of  New  England 
and  of  New  England  ideas,  it  is,  of  course,  in  no 
mere  sectional,  or  partisan,  sense;  I  mean  an  influ- 
ence that  had  incorporated  itself  with  the  organic  life 
of  American  Presbyterianism ;  as  when,  for  example, 
in  the  person  of  one  of  its  greatest  representatives, 
Jonathan  Dickinson,  a  son  of  Massachusetts  and  a 
graduate  of  Yale  College,  it  framed  the  Adopting  Act 
of  1729,  aided  in  founding  the  College  of  New  Jersey, 
and  asserted  so  strenuously  what  Dr.  John  Holt  Rice 
called    "a   sound   orthodoxy   without   any   cramping 


EAliLY  THEOLOGICAL  POSITION.  43 

irons  or  hoops  about  it."     In  this  sense  the  Puritan 
and  New  England  influence  had  been  a  great  power 
in  moulding  tlie  theological  sentiment  of  American 
Presbyterianism  all   through  the  eighteenth  century 
and  the  first  third  of  the  nineteenth;  and  its  power 
was  never  more  distinctly  or  more  wisely  manifested 
than   in    our    own   early   history.      Nor   can    we   be 
too   thankful  to-day  that   from   the   first   it  wrought 
rather  as  a  power  than  as  a  special  theological  school 
or  creed.     The  Seminary  formulated  no  creed  of  its 
own.     The  only  system  of  doctrine  to  which  it  bound 
either  itself  or  its  teachers,  it  held  in  common  with 
the  Old  School ;  namely,  the  system  contained  in  the 
Westminster  Confession  of  Faith.      It   simply  inter- 
preted that  system  in  its  own  way;  and  its  own  way 
was  in  the  main  according  to  the  type  of  Calvinism 
taught  by  such  men  as  Jonathan  Dickinson,  Jonathan 
Edwards,  Bellamy,  Hopkins,  and  the  first  President 
Dwight,    modified    by    later    American    divines,    and 
also,  more  or  less,  by  the  writings  of  Andrew  Fuller, 
Robei't  Hall,  John  Foster,  and  the  Evangelical  school 
of  the    Church   of  England.     The   following   is   the 
pledge  required  of  its  Professors,  touching  both  doc- 
trine and  polity:  — 

I  believe  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament 
to  be  the  word  of  God,  the  only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and 
practice  ;  and  I  do  now,  in  the  presence  of  God  and  the  Di- 
rectors of  this  Seminary,  solemnly  and  sincerely  receive  the 
Westminster  Confession  of   Faith  as  containing  the  system 


44  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

of  doctrine  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  I  do  also,  in  like 
manner,  approve  of  the  Presbyterian  Form  of  Government ; 
and  I  do  solemnly  promise  that  I  will  not  teach  or  inculcate 
anything  which  shall  appear  to  me  to  be  subversive  of  said 
system  of  doctrines,  or  of  the  principles  of  said  Form  of  Gov- 
ernment, so  long  as  I  shall  continue  to  be  a  Professor  in  the 
Seminary. 


VI. 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    SEMINARY    IN    ITS    SCOPE    AND 
TEACHING    FORCE. 

No  careful  reader  of  the  preamble  to  the  consti- 
tution of  the  Seminary  can  fail  to  be  impressed  with 
the  practical  wisdom,  good  sense,  largeness  of  views, 
and  devotion  to  the  cause  of  sacred  learning,  as  well  as 
the  pious  zeal,  which  inspired  its  founders.  They  had 
studied  and  discerned  clearly  the  signs  of  the  times. 
It  was  their  *'  design  to  furnish  the  means  of  a  full 
and  thorough  education  in  all  the  subjects  taught  in 
the  best  Theological  Seminaries  in  the  United  States ; 
also,  to  embrace  therewith  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  Standards  of  Faith  and  Discipline  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church."  But  in  order  to  realize  this  high 
ideal,  time  and  experience  were  needed.  It  could 
not  be  extemporized.  We  have  seen  what  financial 
difficulties  stood  in  its  way  at  the  very  outset,  and 
for  many  following  years.  But  while  the  ideal  of 
the  founders,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  could  not  at 


DEVELOPMENT  IN  SCOPE.  45 

once  be  realized,  they  never  lost  sight  of  it.  From 
the  first  it  has  been  a  ruling  purpose,  alike  of  tlie 
Board  of  Directors  and  of  the  Faculty,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  make  the  Union  Theological  Seminary 
perfect  and  entire,  wanting  nothing.  When  I  said, 
therefore,  at  the  beginning  of  this  sketch,  that  tlie 
institution  is  essentially  what  fifty  years  ago  it  was 
intended  to  be,  I  meant  that  its  growth  has  been  in 
substantial  accordance  with  the  original  design  and 
spirit  of  its  founders.  But  this  does  not  imply  that 
they  made  no  mi^stakes,  or  that  they  foresaw  distinctly 
the  working  and  outcome  of  their  plan  in  all  its  details. 
They  were  modest  men,  and  the  last  to  claim  for  them- 
selves any  such  pre-eminence.  One  has  only  to  com- 
pare their  design  in  the  matter  of  students  with  their 
design  in  the  matter  of  instruction  and  training,  in 
order  to  perceive  that  they  were  as  short-sighted  in 
the  former  as  they  were  wise  and  far-sighted  in  the 
latter.  The  second  section  of  the  preamble  to  the 
constitution,  for  example,  reads  as  follows :  — 

This  institution  (while  it  will  receive  others  to  the  advan- 
tages it  may  furnish)  is  principally  designed  for  such  young 
men  in  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn  as  are,  or  may 
be,  desirous  of  pursuing  a  course  of  Theological  Study,  and 
whose  circumstances  render  it  inconvenient  for  them  to  go 
from  home  for  this  purpose. 

In  view  of  the  history  of  the  institution  during  half 
a  century,  how  strange,  how  almost  ludicrous,  all  this 
sounds   in   our   ears !     Hardly  were   its  doors  open. 


46  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

when  young  men  began  to  flock  to  it  from  every 
quarter.  Its  situation,  as  well  as  its  principles  and 
spirit,  made  it  at  once  a  school  of  divinity,  not  for 
New  York  and  Brooklyn  chiefly,  but  for  tlie  whole 
land. 

It  must  ever  be  regarded  as  a  special  favor  of 
Providence,  that  the  great  department  of  Biblical  Lit- 
erature was  intrusted  to  the  man  better  fitted  than 
any  other  in  the  country  to  organize  and  shape  it. 
Dr.  Robinson's  letter  of  acceptance  seems  to  have 
been  written  with  special  reference  to  its  "  bearing 
upon  the  future  influence  and  interests  of  the  Semi- 
nary." What  could  be  more  admirable  in  this  respect, 
or  more  prophetic,  than  the  following  passages  ! 

The  constitution  properly  requires  every  Professor  to  de- 
clare that  he  believes  "  the  Scriptures  of  tlie  Old  and  New 
Testament  to  be  the  word  of  God,  the  only  infallible  rule  of 
faith  and  practice."  This  is  placing  the  Bible  in  its  true  posi- 
tion, as  the  only  foundation  of  Christian  Theology.  It  follows 
as  a  necessary  consequence,  that  tlie  study  of  the  Bible,  as 
taught  in  the  department  of  Biblical  Literature,  must  lie  at 
the  foundation  of  all  right  theological  education.  To  under- 
stand the  Bible,  the  student  must  know  all  about  the  Bible. 
It  is  not  a  mere  smattering  of  Greek  and  Hebrew,  not  the 
mere  ability  to  consult  a  text  in  the  original  Scriptures,  that 
can  qualify  him  to  be  a  correct  interpreter  of  the  word  of  life. 
He  must  be  thoroughly  furnished  for  his  work,  if  he  be  ex- 
pected to  do  his  work  well.  A  bare  enumeration  of  the  par- 
ticulars that  fall  within  the  department  of  Biblical  Literature 
will  show  that  it  covers  a  wider  field  than  is  generally  sup- 
posed.    To  it,  properly,  belong  full  courses  of  instruction  in 


DEVELOPMENT  IN  SCOPE.  47 

the  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  Chaldcc  languages,  and  also,  as  aux- 
iliaries, in  the  Syriac,  Arabic,  and  other  minor  dialects ;  in 
Biblical  Introduction,  or  the  History  of  the  Bible  as  a  whole, 
and  its  various  parts,  its  writers,  its  manuscripts,  editions, 
etc. ;  in  Biblical  Criticism,  or  the  history  and  condition  of  the 
text ;  in  Biblical  Hermeneutics,  or  the  theory  and  principles 
of  Interpretation;  in  Biblical  Exegesis,  or  the  practical  appli- 
cation of  those  principles  to  the  study  and  interpretation  of 
the  sacred  books  ;  in  Biblical  Antiquities  ;  and,  further,  a  sep- 
arate consideration  of  the  version  of  the  Seventy,  as  a  chief 
source  of  illustration  for  both  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 

I  do  not  make  this  enumeration  in  order  to  magnify  my 
own  department, — far  from  it ;  but  rather  to  lead  your  minds 
to  see  and  inquire,  "  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ? " 
Certainly  it  does  not  lie  within  the  power  of  any  one  man, 
whoever  he  may  be,  to  do  justice  to  all  these  important  topics. 
But  there  must  be  to  every  great  undertaking  a  day  of  small 
things ;  there  must  be  months  and  even  years  of  weakness, 
though  yet  of  growth;  and  my  object  in  these  remarks  will  be 
accomplished  if  they  serve  to  draw  your  attention  to  the  im- 
portance of  the  general  subject,  and  thus  prepare  the  way  for 
further  action,  whenever  God  in  his  providence  shall  seem  to 
render  it  expedient. 

The  Seminary  was  not  only  highly  favored  in  ob- 
taining for  the  chair  of  Biblical  Literature  a  Christian 
scholar  of  the  very  first  grade,  but  it  was  much  fa- 
vored also  in  securing  the  services  of  able  assistants  in 
the  same  department  dming  Dr.  Robinson's  absence 
in  the  Holy  Land,  and  in  later  years.  Our  list  of 
histructors  in  Sacred  Literature  between  I80G  and 
1874  contains  the  names  of  some  eminent  Oriental 
scholars ;   such  names  as  George  Bush,  Isaac  Nord- 


48  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

heimer,  Elias  Riggs  of  Constantinople,  and  Cornelius 
Van  xVllen  Van  Dyck  of  Beyrout.^ 

No  department  in  the  Seminary  has  been  so  en- 
larged as  that  of  Sacred  Literature,  nor  has  any  one 
developed  in  greater  power.  Upon  the  death  of  Dr. 
Robinson,  in  1863,  William  Greenough  Thayer  Shedd 
was  appointed  to  the  chair.  Upon  his  transfer,  in 
1874,  to  the  chair  of  Systematic  Theology,  he  was 
succeeded  by  Philip  Schaff,  who  in  1870  had  been 
made  Professor  of  Theological  Cyclopaedia  and  Chris- 
tian Symbolism,  to  Avhich  Hebrew  was  added  in  1873. 

1  I  cannot  refrain  from  adding  a  few  words  respecting  three  of  our 
instructors  iu  Sacred  Literature,  who  long  since  passed  away  from  earth. 
They  were  scholai-s  of  the  best  quality  and  much  beloved  by  the  stu- 
dents.    I  refer  to  Xordheiraer,  Turner,  and  Hadley. 

Isaac  Xordheimer  (1838-42)  came  here  from  Germany  about  fifty 
years  ago.  He  was  a  Jew,  and  warmly  devoted  to  the  faith  of  his  fathers. 
I  have  the  pleasantest  personal  recollections  of  him,  having  spent  many 
months  under  his  tuition  in  the  study  of  Hebrew  and  German.  Later, 
I  passed  several  years  at  the  Universities  of  Halle  and  Berlin,  but  never 
found  a  teacher  who  surpassed  him  in  skill  and  enthusiasm.  His  early 
death  I  have  always  regarded  as  an  almost  irreparable  loss  to  the  cause 
of  Oriental  learning  in  this  country.  His  Hebrew  Grammar  shows 
what  might  have  been  expected  of  him,  had  he  not  been  cut  down  in 
the  flower  of  his  days.  He  lived  with  a  younger  sister  in  the  Univer- 
sity building,  and  was  as  simple-hearted  and  affectionate  as  a  child  in 
all  his  ways. 

William  "Wadden  Turner  (1843-52)  was  a  model  of  good  and 
patient  scholarship,  noted  alike  for  his  modesty  and  his  learning,  and 
his  name  would  no  doubt  have  been  far  more  widely  known  had  not  he 
too  been  cut  off  prematurely. 

Henry  Hamilton  Hadley  (1858-64)  was  a  representative  of  the 
finest  type  of  Yale  scholarship  and  character.  For  several  years  he  was 
my  parishioner;  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  lovely  Christian  traits  that 
endeared  him  to  all  his  friends.  His  patriotic  ardor  cost  him  his  life. 
He  went  "  to  the  front  "  in  the  service  of  the  Christian  Commission, 
and  there  fell  a  victim  to  the  cause  of  the  Union  as  truly  as  any  soldier 
on  its  battle-fields. 


DEVELOPMENT  IN   TEACHING  FORCE.  49 

In  1875  Charles  Augustus  Briggs  became  Professor 
of  Hebrew  and  Cognate  Languages.  The  chair  of 
Biblical  Philology  was  created  in  1879,  and  Francis 
Brown  was  appointed  to  give  instruction  in  it.  It  thus 
appears  that  the  original  department,  which  Dr.  Rob- 
inson organized  and  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
conducted  with  such  ability,  consists  now  of  three 
different  chairs  ;  no  one  of  which,  I  may  add,  is  per- 
haps less  exacting  than  that  of  Biblical  Literature 
fifty  years  ago. 

The  chair  of  Systematic  Theology  has  remained 
essentially  the  same  from  the  days  of  Dr.  White. 
His  successor,  appointed  in  1851,  was  James  Patriot 
Wilson,  now  the  venerable  and  honored  pastor  of  the 
South  Park  Church,  Newark,  N.  J.  In  October,  1853, 
Dr.  Wilson  resigned,  and  Professor  Smith  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  chair.  In  January,  1874,  Dr.  Smith 
resigned,  and  Professor  Shedd  was  ajjpointed  to  suc- 
ceed him. 

The  chair  of  Church  Histor}^  was  first  occupied  by 
Henry  Boynton  Smith,  in  the  autumn  of  1850.  Up 
to  that  time  Church  History  had  been  taught  either 
by  a  Professor  Extraordinary,  or  by  a  temporary  in- 
structor. On  the  transfer  of  Dr.  Smith  to  the  Pro- 
fessorship of  Systematic  Theology,  Roswell  D wight 
Hitchcock  was  called  to  the  vacant  chair. 

A  chair  of  Pastoral  Theology  was  established  in 
1836,  and  Dr.  McAuley  appointed  to  fill  it.  After 
his  retirement,  in  1840,  instruction  on  the  subject  was 

4 


50  THE    UNION  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

given  by  Professors  Extraordinary  until  1848,  when 
Thomas  Harvey  Skinner  was  chosen  Professor  of 
Sacred  Rhetoric,  Pastoral  Theology,  and  Church  Gov- 
ernment. In  1873  William  Adams  was  appointed 
to  the  Presidency  of  the  Seminary,  and  also  to  the 
chair  of  Sacred  Rhetoric.  In  the  same  year  George 
Lewis  Prentiss  became  Professor  of  Pastoral  The- 
ology, Church  Polity,  and  Mission  Work.  Mission 
Work,  if  I  mistake  not,  was  then  for  the  first  time 
engrafted  upon  the  regular  curriculum  of  theological 
study  in  this  country.  Upon  the  death  of  Dr.  Adams, 
in  1880,  Professor  Hitchcock  was  appointed  to  succeed 
him  in  the  Presidency  of  the  Seminary,  and  Thomas 
Samuel  Hastings  was  called  to  the  chair  of  Sacred 
Rhetoric.  This  meagre  sketch  will  serve  to  show 
how  greatly  the  teaching  force  of  the  institution  has 
been  enlarged  since  1836.  For  twelve  years  the 
Seminary  had  two  Professors  only,  if  we  except  Dr. 
McAuley's  brief  connection  with  it  in  the  chair  of 
Pastoral  Theology.  The  two  have  increased  to  seven ; 
wdiile  the  scope  of  instruction  has  constantly  widened 
Avitli  its  growing  power.^ 


^  This  does  not  always  appear  in  the  mere  titles  of  the  different  chairs. 
Upon  the  accession  of  Dr.  Hastings,  for  instance,  to  the  Professorship  of 
Sacred  Rhetoric,  instruction  in  Pastoral  Tlieology  was  transferred  to  him 
from  the  Skinner  and  iMcAlpin  chair;  while  to  this  chair  has  been  added, 
from  time  to  time,  instruction  in  Catechetics,  Apologetics,  and  Christian 
Ethics.  The  "  Course  of  Study,"  as  given  in  our  Catalogue  for  1886-87, 
will  best  indicate  these  changes  and  additions.  It  will  be  found  in  Note  A, 
p.  88.  In  Xote  B,  p.  94,  will  be  found  the  names  of  the  different  Pro- 
fessorships, together  with  the  times  and  manner  of  their  endowment. 


THE  LECTURESHIPS  AND   FELLOWSHIPS.  51 

Nor  is  tlie  enlargement  of  the  cuiTiciilum  all  that 
has  been  done  to  add  to  the  scope  and  efficiency  of 
instruction  in  the  Seminary.  Since  18GG,  valuable 
courses  of  Lectures  have  been  given  to  the  students 
on  the  Morse  Foundation,  upon  the  Relations  of  Sci- 
ence and  Religion ;  on  the  Ely  Foundation,  upon 
the  Evidences  of  Christianity;  and  on  the  Parker 
Foundation,  upon  topics  connected  with  Phj'sical  and 
Mental  Hygiene.  Besides  these,  special  courses  have 
been  given  upon  Missions,  Preaching,  the  Method 
of  Preparation  for  Preaching,  the  Relation  of  Civil 
Law  to  Ecclesiastical  Polity,  Property  and  Discipline, 
Hymnology,  and  various  other  subjects.  Among  the 
Lecturers  have  been  Rev.  Albert  Barnes,  President 
McCosh,  the  Rev.  Dr.  R.  S.  Storrs,  Prof.  Calderwood 
and  Prof.  Bruce  of  Scotland,  Prof.  Arnold  Guyot, 
Justice  William  Strong  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  Dr.  Willard  Parker,  Prof.  Theodore  AY. 
Dwiglit,  Prof.  Cooke  of  Harvard  University,  and  other 
eminent  divines,  scientists,  and  physicians.  Excellent 
instruction  in  Sacred  Music  has  been  provided  almost 
from  the  beginning;  and  since  1865  Elocution,  under 
accomplished  teachers,  has  formed  a  part  of  the  regular 
course  of  study  and  training. 

In  1876  the  Philadelphia  Fellowship  was  estab- 
lished, and  in  1877  the  Francis  P.  Schoals  Fellowship. 
These  fellowships  are  perhaps  even  more  important 
than  the  lectureships  in  their  bearing  on  the  use- 
fulness of  the  Seminary  and  upon  theological  educa- 


52  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

tion.     We  owe  them  mainly  to  the  wise  foresight  and 
influence  of  Dr.  Adams.^ 


YII. 


SUCCESSIVE    EXDOWMEXT    EFFORTS. LATER   FINANCIAL 

HISTORY. DEPARTED    FRIENDS    AND    BENEFACTORS. 

REMOVAL    OF    THE    SEMINARY. 

The  original  plan  of  the  founders  of  the  Seminary 
contemplated,  as  we  have  seen,  no  proper  endowment. 
On  becoming  pastor  of  the  Mercer  Street  Presbyterian 
Church,  five  and  thirty  years  ago,  it  so  chanced  that 
my  first  appeal  to  my  people  for  money  was  on  occa- 
sion of  an  annual  collection  in  behalf  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary;  and,  to  my  sui-prise,  I  had 
learned  that  of  the  money  thus  raised  a  large  por- 
tion would  go  toward  j^aying  the  salaries  of  three  of 
the  Professors.  I  determined,  therefore,  to  preach  a 
sermon  on  the  claims  of  the  Seminary,  and  to  urge 
its  immediate  endowment.^  The  response  to  my  ap- 
peal demonstrated  that  the  friends  of  the  Seminary 

1  Some  account  of  the  three  Lectureships,  the  two  Fellowships,  the 
Instructorships  in  INIusic  and  Elocution,  and  the  Hitchcock  Prize  in 
Church  History,  will  be  found  iji  Note  B,  p.  95. 

2  The  Union  Theological  Seminary:  a  Sermon  delivered  in  the  Mercer 
Street  Church  on  Sabbath  Morning,  October  19,  1851. 

The  sermon  was  published  at  the  request  of  Charles  Butler,  Caleb  O. 
Halsted,  David  Hoadley,  and  other  Directors  of  the  Seminary,  who  were 
present;  and  also  by  desire  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey, 
before  which  it  was  preached  later  in  October.  Some  extracts  from  it 
will  be  found  in  Note  C,  p.  97. 


SUCCESSIVE  ENDOWMENT  EFFORTS.  53 

were  prepared  already  for  a  new  departure.  A  few 
months  later,  on  the  evening  of  February  9,  1852, 
they  met  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Charles  Butler,  No.  15 
East  Fourteenth  Street,  to  inaugurate  an  effort  for  its 
immediate  and  full  endowment.  This  meeting  took 
place  in  accordance  with  a  unanimous  resolution  of  the 
Board  of  Directors.  Long  and  painful  experience  had 
at  length  convinced  them  that  the  plan  of  the  institu- 
tion, financially  considered,  was  radically  defective. 
Strange  to  say,  its  founders  really  believed  that,  once 
fairly  started  on  its  career,  with  suitable  buildings, 
library,  and  teachers,  it  might  thenceforth  safely  de- 
pend for  support  upon  the  annual  contributions  of  its 
friends  in  the  churches  of  New  York  and  Brookljm. 
Established  for  the  specific  purpose  of  educating  for 
the  sacred  ministry  pious  young  men  of  these  two 
cities,  they  hoped  that  the  general  sympathy  with  its 
object,  and  personal  interest  in  it,  would  furnisli  from 
year  to  year  all  the  funds  necessary  to  carry  it  on. 
This,  I  say,  was  a  radical  error  of  the  founders;  an 
error  rendered  more  serious  by  their  not  considering 
that  the  proper  function  of  a  theological  seminary  is 
not  only  to  train  young  men  for  the  ministry  by 
giving  them  thorough  instruction  in  all  branches  of 
divinity,  but  also  to  be  itself  a  living,  perennial  centre 
of  theological  learning,  science,  and  power ;  and  that, 
in  order  to  fulfil  this  last  all-important  function,  it 
must  depend  not  merely  upon  popular  sympathy  and 
annual    contributions,    but   upon    sources    of   supply 


54  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

unaffected  bj  fluctuations  of  business  and  the  chan- 
ging- moods  of  the  hour ;  in  other  words,  upon  solid, 
permanent  endowments. 

The  meeting  at  Mr.  -Butler's  formed  a  vital  turning- 
point  in  the  history  of  the  Seminary.  After  a  com- 
parison and  interchange  of  views,  it  was  unanimously 
agreed  that  without  delay  vigorous  measures  should 
be  taken  for  placing  the  institution  on  a  sure  founda- 
tion. In  pursuance  of  this  decision  the  Board  ap- 
pointed a  special  committee,  to  which  the  whole 
matter  of  an  endowment  was  intrusted.  On  the  22d 
of  March,  1852,  the  committee  issued  a  circular  to  the 
effect  "  that  the  Directors  of  the  Seminary,  believing 
that  the  time  had  come  when  the  institution  should  be 
placed  on  a  permanent  basis,  have  resolved  to  take 
measures  with  a  view  to  secure  its  adequate  endow- 
ment." This  circular  was  accompanied  by  a  copy  of 
the  Sermon  already  mentioned,  and  also  by  a  very 
forcible  Statement  and  Appeal,  addressed  to  the  friends 
of  the  Seminary,  which,  at  the  request  of  the  com- 
mittee, had  been  prepared  by  Professor  Smith. 

The  institution  owed  much  already  to  its  financial 
agents,  particularly  to  the  Rev.  Gideon  Noble  Judd 
(1839-41),  the  Rev.  Lubin  Burton  Lockwood  (1843- 
50),  and  the  Rev.  George  Franklin  Wiswell.  It  was 
specially  fortunate  in  obtaining  the  services  of  the 
Rev.  Joseph  S.  Gallagher  as  its  financial  agent  at  this 
time.  Had  the  whole  land  been  searched  through, 
one   better   adapted   to   the   task  could  hardly  have 


SUCCESSIVE  ENDOWMENT  EFFORTS.  55 

been  found.  Mr.  Gallagher  had  served  for  years 
as  a  gallant  officer  in  the  United  States  Army;  he 
was  a  man  of  affairs,  prudent,  clear-sighted,  fully  im- 
pressed with  the  importance  of  the  object,  and  a 
Christian  gentleman.  He  soon  obtained  access  to 
men  of  wealth,  who  contributed  quite  as  much,  per- 
haps, from  confidence  in  him  and  his  judgment,  as 
from  interest  in  the  object  itself.  In  a  little  more 
than  a  year  the  sum  of  Si 00, 000  had  been  raised. 
A  few  years  later  another  $100,000  was  also  secured 
by  him.  In  1865  Dr.  Hatfield  became  financial  agent, 
and  through  his  persistent,  wise  efforts  the  additional 
sum  of  $150,000  for  endowment  and  scholarships 
was  subscribed.  Another  appeal  for  $300,000,  made 
through  the  same  agency  from  1870  to  1872,  was  also 
sustained.^  Then  came  the  princely  gift  of  $300,000 
by  Mr.  James  Brown;  and  still  later,  in  1880,  that 
of  Governor  Morgan  for  a  fire-proof  library  building 
and  a  library  fund.  Governor  Morgan's  further  gifts, 
and  those  of  Morris  K.  Jesup,  Daniel  Willis  James,  and 
Frederick  Marquand,  which  furnished  the  means  of 
erecting  our  halls  of  instruction,  our  dormitory,  and 
this  chapel,  followed  not  very  long  after.  What  a 
change  from  those  early  poverty-stricken  years  of  trial, 
struggle,  and  hope  deferred  ! 

1  This  sum  included  i$2.'),000  subscribed  by  Mr.  David  Hunter  Mc  Alpin, 
and  .$25,000  subscribed  by  Mr.  William  E.  Dodge,  Mr.  Charles  Butler, 
Mr.  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  Mr.  Enoch  Ketcham,  together  with  other  friends 
of  Dr.  Prentiss  and  old  friends  of  Dr.  Skinner,  to  endow  the  "  Skinner 
and  McAlpin  Professorship  of  Pastoral  Theology,  Mission  Work,  and 
Church  Polity." 


56  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

And  what  motives,  what  considerations  of  public 
duty,  wrought  this  change  I  Substantially  the  same 
Christian  motives  and  the  same  high  considerations 
of  public  duty  which  animated  the  founders  of  the 
Union  Seminary.  Our  benefactors  have  understood 
perfectly  what  they  were  doing,  and  why  they  Avere 
doing  it.  In  his  letter  to  Dr.  Adams,  dated  March  29, 
1880,  offering  to  establish  a  fund  of  $100,000  for  the 
erection  of  a  new  library  building  and  for  the  im- 
provement, increase,  and  support  of  the  library,  Gov- 
ernor Morgan  begins  by  saying,  "I  desire  to  show 
my  appreciation  of  the  usefulness  of  the  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  and  to  aid  in  the  great  work  that 
it  is  now  doing  for  the  country."  Allow  me  further 
to  illustrate  my  meaning  by  an  extract  from  another 
letter  of  Governor  Morgan's.  When  he  gave  this 
8100,000,  it  occurred  to  me  that  he  might  be  inter- 
ested in  reading  the  appeals  which  the  Board  of 
Directors  issued  in  furtherance  of  the  endowment 
effort  of  1852.  Accordingly,  I  sent  him  the  two 
pamphlets  published  at  that  time.  In  a  letter,  dated 
New  York,  January  4,  1882,  Governor  Morgan  writes 
as  follows  :  — 

I  had  the  pleasure,  a  few  days  since,  of  receiving  your  valued 
favor,  and  also  two  pamphlets,  one  containing  "  an  Appeal," 
and  the  other  "  a  Sermon  "  preached  by  you  about  thirty  years 
ago,  setting  forth  the  condition  and  the  advantages  of  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary  in  New  York.  .  .  .  There  is  not 
an  expression  in  either  pamphlet  which  I  do  not  approve.  I 
thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  for  presenting  this 


SUCCESSIVE  ENDOWMENT  EFFORTS.  57 

vastly  important  subject  in  its  true  light.  Although  both  of 
the  papers  were  written  fully  thirty  years  ago,  they  seem  ])er- 
fectly  applicable  to  the  present  state  of  affairs.  The  manner 
in  which  they  presented  the  advantages  of  a  great  city,  like 
this,  for  theological  education,  ought  to  have  impressed  the 
public  very  favorably  then  ;  and  although  I  had  not  your 
documents,  nor  any  others,  to  guide  me,  yet  the  same  idea 
controlled  me  when  I  commenced  to  aid  our  Seminary. 

I  have  always  thought,  and  I  still  think,  that  New  Yorkers, 
of  all  others,  ought  to  do  something  for  a  good  institution, 
like  the  Union  Seminary,  in  their  own  city.  ...  I  am  con- 
vinced now,  more  than  ever,  that  my  judgment  in  this  respect 
has  not  been  at  fault. 

Our  friends  and  benefactors  have  been  moved  to 
help  us  as  Governor  Morgan  was  moved,  —  not  so 
much  by  personal  appeals  as  by  a  sense  of  public 
duty,  and  tlieir  high  opinion  of  the  Seminary.  TJie 
institution  liad  won  their  confidence  by  its  usefulness 
and  the  spirit  by  which  it  was  governed ;  and  so  they 
were  impelled  to  identify  themselves  with  its  sacred 
interests.  I  do  not  doubt  that  the  same  cause  will 
raise  up  for  it  generous  helpers  in  the  years  to  come. 
Its  best  financial  agency  will  still  be  the  visible  evi- 
dence that  it  is  doing  the  work  of  God  in  our  own 
land  and  in  all  the  world. 

As  we  sit  to-day  under  the  shadow  of  the  magnifi- 
cent tree  planted  and  nurtured  by  our  friends  and 
benefactors  who  have  "  crossed  the  flood,"  we  are 
all,  I  am  sure,  in  the  mood  to  thank  God  for  what 
thev  did,  and  for  what  they  were.     Of  some  of  them 


58  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

I  have  spoken  already,  because  their  names  are  so 
identified  with  all  our  early  and  our  later  annals  that 
it  is  not  possible  to  talk  about  the  origin  and  growth 
of  the  Seminary  without  talking  about  tliem.  I  wish 
there  w^ere  time  on  this  occasion  to  speak  of  otliers, 
whose  services,  although  now  less  widely  known,  were 
not  less  real,  nor  in  some  cases  less  vitally  connected 
with  its  prosperity. 

Gladly  too  would  I  speak  of  some  of  the  living 
benefactors  to  whom  we  owe  so  much ;  not  to  please 
them,  for  they  have  a  better  reward,  but  to  give  vent 
to  the  grateful  emotions  that  fill  our  hearts.  Of  one 
of  them,  indeed,  it  would  be  a  wrong  not  to  speak ; 
and  my  words,  I  know,  will  find  a  cordial  response  in 
all  your  breasts.  Yet  I  am  puzzled  whether  to  speak 
of  Iiim  as  my  own  dear  and  honored  friend  for  five 
and  thirty  years,  or  as  one  of  the  founders  and  for 
half  a  century  one  of  the  most  loyal,  wise,  and  gen- 
erous friends  of  this  Seminary.  I  think  God  has 
spared  him  to  more  than  fourscore  years,  to  the  end 
that  in  his  person  we  might  see  with  our  eyes  to-day 
what  sort  of  men  planned  and  reared  this  temple  of 
sacred  learning.  In  your  name,  in  the  name  of  the 
Faculty,  in  the  name  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  I 
congratulate  the  venerable  President  of  the  Board  on 
being  permitted  to  keep  with  us  this  semi-centennial 
anniversary.     God  bless  him ! 

Before  passing  from  our  financial  history,  let  me 
speak  of  the  removal  of  the  Seminary  to  this  place. 


SUCCESSIVE   ENDOWMENT  EFFORTS.  59 

As  long  ag-0  as  1869,  tlie  Board  of  Directors  had  de- 
termined to  leave  University  Place  and  go  up  town. 
After  much  inquiry  and  discussion,  lots  were  secured 
on  Avenue  St.  Nicholas,  between  130th  and  133d 
Streets.  It  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  sites  on  the 
island,  and  its  purchase  was  regarded  at  the  time,  by 
the  friends  of  the  institution,  as  nothing  less  than  a 
special  favor  of  Providence.  Elaborate  and  costly 
plans  were  procured,  and  it  was  expected  that  in  a 
couple  of  years  the  beautiful  height  would  be  crowned 
with  the  finest  seminary  buildings  in  the  country. 
But  before  sufficient  means  for  erecting  them  had 
been  obtained,  the  great  panic  of  1872-73  came,  and 
the  whole  movement  was  abandoned.  Althoug-h  at 
the  time  a  severe  disappointment,  the  result  was,  per- 
haps, a  fortunate  one,  and  saved  the  institution  from 
grave  financial  embarrassment.  After  a  delay  of  ten 
years,  during  which  various  additions  and  improve- 
ments were  made  to  the  old  building  in  University 
Place,  the  question  of  removal  up  town  w^as  again 
agitated.  In  April,  1881,  this  site  was  obtained,  and 
on  December  9,  1884,  these  new  buildings  were  dedi- 
cated, in  services  that  will  not  soon  be  forgotten  by 
any  who  took  part  in  them.  "  The  present  location," 
to  repeat  the  words  of  Dr.  Hitchcock's  Address  on  the 
occasion,  "  is  apparently  for  many  decades,  if  not  for 
all  time.  This  commanding  site,  so  near  the  centre  of 
the  island,  is  in  little  danger  of  losing  its  advantages. 
Right  behind  us  is  the   grand   Central   Park;    close 


60  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

around  us  are  hospitals,  schools,  and  galleries  of  art, 
the  trophies  and  adornments  of  an  advancing  civiliza- 
tion. But  this  institution  of  sacred  learning  which  we 
dedicate  to-day,  interpreter  of  God's  word,  herald  of 
God's  grace,  outranks  them  alL" 


VIII. 

DEPARTED    PROFESSORS,    AND    WHAT     THE     SEMINARY 
OWES    TO    THEM. 

The  power  of  a  theological  seminary,  whether  in 
training  up  young  men  for  the  ministry,  or  as  a  centre 
of  sacred  learning,  depends  mainly  upon  the  charac- 
ter of  its  teachers.  No  wealth  of  endowment,  no 
advantages  of  situation  or  equipment,  no  soundness 
in  the  faith,  can  supply  the  place  of  living  men,  who 
are  thoroughly  furnished  for  their  work  by  the  best 
gifts  and  discipline  of  both  nature  and  grace.  There 
are  but  few  spheres  of  human  activity  or  influence  in 
which  the  very  highest  qualities  can  be  so  effectively 
used.  The  ideal  of  a  theological  teacher  is  the  ideal 
of  Christian  manhood  in  the  whole  intellectual  and 
moral  life.  Something  of  this  seems  to  have  been  in 
the  thought  of  the  founders  of  this  Seminary,  when, 
in  the  preamble  to  its  constitution,  they  avowed  it 
to  be  tlieir  aim  and  hope,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  to 
call  forth  and  enlist  in  the  service  of  Christ  "genius," 
as  well  as  "talent,  enlightened  piety,  and  missionary 


THE   WORK   OF  DEPARTED  PROFESSORS.  61 

zeal."  The  greatest  and  most  variously  gifted  man  in 
the  history  of  the  Church,  the  man  who  more  than 
any  other  laid  the  foundations  of  Christendom,  was  a 
theological  teacher.  Theological  teachers  were  the 
leaders  of  European  thought  and  opinion  in  the 
Middle  Ages.  The  greatest  man  in  the  Protestant 
annals  was  a  professor  of  divinity  in  the  little  town 
of  Wittenberg.  Great  theologians  are  indeed  rare 
products  of  any  soil,  in  any  age ;  but  for  that  very 
reason,  when  they  do  appear,  they  are  all  the  more 
to  be  prized.  This  Seminary  has  been  signally  fa- 
vored in  the  character  of  the  men  who  once  filled  its 
chairs  of  instruction,  but  are  now  at  rest  in  God.  If 
not  all  endowed  with  genius,  they  were  all  endowed 
with  such  manifold  talents,  learning,  and  graces  of 
the  Spirit  as  fitted  them,  each  and  all,  for  their  pecu- 
liar tasks. 

Of  Hexey  White  I  have  spoken  already,  as  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Seminary.  Dr.  White  may  not 
have  been  a  great  or  a  very  learned  divine,  but  he 
was  acute,  clear-headed,  judicious,  modest,  and  de- 
vout,—  a  man  of  uncommon  practical  wisdom,  apt  to 
teach,  beloved  by  the  students,  highly  esteemed  by 
the  Board  of  Directors,  and  universally  regarded  as 
sound  in  the  faith.  These  qualities  specially  fitted 
him  to  take  the  chair  of  Systematic  Theology  at 
a  tim.e  when  suspicion  was  abroad,  and  the  whole 
Presbyterian  Church  seemed  a  battle-field  of  warring 
schools  and  passions. 


62  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

For  organizing-  and  conducting  the  department  of 
Biblical  Literature,  there  was  not,  I  repeat,  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic,  a  man  better  qualified  than  Edward 
Robinson.  His  understanding  and  his  scholarship 
were  equally  solid.  He  regarded  genuine,  thorough 
work  as  a  cardinal  virtue ;  and  he  illustrated  this  vir- 
tue in  all  his  teaching  and  in  all  his  investigations, 
whether  about  a  Hebrew  root,  or  the  site  of  some 
memorable  scene  or  place  in  the  Holy  Land.  Sooner 
than  tamper  with  truth  in  great  things  or  small,  he 
would,  I  believe,  have  cut  off  his  right  hand.  He 
abhorred  pretentious  and  loose  scholarship  as  a  down- 
right immorality.  His  early  accession  to  the  Faculty 
of  the  Union  Seminary  was  itself  a  rich  endowment 
of  the  chair  of  Biblical  Literature.  I  first  saw  him 
in  Berlin,  going  in  and  out,  like  one  of  them,  among 
the  renowned  Gelehrte  of  that  famous  University. 
Neander  and  Karl  Ritter  were  his  intimate  and  admir- 
ing friends.  He  was  then  on  his  way  home  from  the 
Holy  Land,  laden  with  the  treasure  of  his  invaluable 
jResearches.  In  later  years  he  was  my  parishioner, 
and  I  learned  to  know  and  honor  him  for  his  simple- 
hearted  piety  and  manly  e very-day  virtues,  as  well  as 
for  his  learning.  Dean  Stanley's  tribute  to  his  mem- 
ory, in  the  address  entitled  An  American  Scholar,  de- 
livered to  our  students  on  October  29,  1878,  brings  out 
very  happily  some  of  the  traits  by  which  he  impressed 
himself  so  strongly  upon  the  early  character  of  this 
institution.     Here  is  an  extract  from  that  address :  — 


THE    WORK   OF  DEPARTED   PROFESSORS.  G3 

My  first  acquaintance  with  American  theological  literature, 
I  might  almost  say,  my  first  acquaintance  with  American  lit- 
erature at  all,  was  in  reading  the  works  of  a  Professor  of 
Union  Seminary.  I  mean  the  Biblical  Researches  of  Dr.  Rob- 
inson. They  are  amongst  the  very  few  books  of  modern 
literature  of  which  I  can  truly  say  that  I  have  read  every 
word.  I  have  read  them  under  circumstances  which  riveted 
my  attention  upon  them,  —  while  riding  upon  the  back  of  a 
camel  in  the  desert, —  while  travelling  on  horseback  through 
the  hills  of  Palestine,  —  under  the  shadow  of  my  tent,  when  I 
came  in  weary  from  the  day's  journey.  These  were  the  scenes 
in  which  I  first  became  acquainted  with  the  work  of  Dr.  Rob- 
inson. But  to  that  work  I  have  felt  that  I  and  all  students  of 
Biblical  literature  owe  a  debt  that  never  can  be  effaced.  .  .  . 
Dr.  Robinson,  I  believe  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  was  the  first 
person  who  ever  saw  Palestine  with  his  eyes  open  as  to  what 
he  ought  to  see.  Hundreds  and  thousands  of  travellers  had 
visited  Palestine  before,  —  pilgrims,  seekers  after  pleasure, 
even  scientific  travellers ;  but  there  was  no  person  before  his 
time  who  had  come  to  visit  that  sacred  country  with  all  the 
appliances  ready  beforehand  which  were  necessary  to  enable 
him  to  understand  what  he  saw ;  and  he  also  was  the  first 
person  who  came  there  with  an  eye  capable  of  observing,  and 
a  hand  capable  of  recording,  all  that  with  these  appliances  he 
brought  before  his  vision. 

The  appointment  of  Thomas  H.  Skinner  to  the 
chair  of  Sacred  Rhetoric  was  not  less  fitting  than  that 
of  Dr.  Robinson  to  the  chair  of  Biblical  Literature. 
He  had  been  a  Director  of  the  Seminary,  and  identi- 
fied with  its  history  from  the  first.  The  prayer  for 
God's  blessing  upon  its  organization  had  been  nttered 
by  his  lips.     But  for  his  powerful  aid  and  that  of  the 


64  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

Mercer  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  was 
pastor,  it  would  probably  have  perished  in  its  in- 
fancy. The  position  to  which  he  was  called  required 
the  highest  type  of  personal  and  Christian  character, 
large  pastoral  experience,  a  thorough  acquaintance 
with  the  art  of  preaching  and  the  care  of  souls,  the 
best  literary  and  theological  culture,  in  union  with 
generous  sympathies  and  an  unfailing  spirit  of  broth- 
erly kindness  and  charity  in  dealing  with  the  doubts, 
the  trials,  and  the  imperfections  of  young  men  pre- 
paring for  the  sacred  office. 

Dr.  Skinner  possessed  all  these  qualifications  in  a 
very  unusual  degree.  For  a  third  of  a  century  he 
liad  been  one  of  the  first  preachers  and  sacred  orators 
in  the  land;  as  a  pastor  and  guide  of  souls  he  had 
few  equals ;  he  was  an  accomplished  scholar,  enthusi- 
astic in  the  pursuit  and  discussion  of  theological  truth, 
and  able  to  excite  similar  enthusiasm  in  others ;  his 
piety  was  full  of  spiritual  depth  and  unction,  and  he 
was  a  model  of  the  Christian  gentleman.  He  had, 
moreover,  discharged  the  duties  of  this  very  chair,  for 
several  years,  in  the  leading  seminary  of  New  Eng- 
land, besides  having  written  and  published  a  number 
of  admirable  essays  on  subjects  connected  with  it. 
His  intercourse  with  his  pupils,  both  in  and  out  of  the 
class-room,  was  not  merely  that  of  a  teacher ;  it  was 
also  the  fellowship  of  a  friend  and  brother  in  Christ. 
He  invited  them,  one  by  one,  to  visit  him  at  his  home ; 
he  manifested  an  affectionate  personal  interest  in  their 


THE   WORK  OF  DEPARTED  PROFESSORS.  65 

fortunes ;  he  sympathized  tenderly  Avith  them  in  their 
mental  struggles,  cheered  them  in  their  despondency, 
was  very  patient  and  considerate  toward  their  faults, 
and  helped  them  by  his  prayers  and  with  the  lessons 
of  his  own  experience  to  get  the  victory  over  their 
religious  doubts  and  perplexities.  For  this  how  many 
of  them,  now  scattered  through  the  earth,  bless  God 
at  every  remembrance  of  him  !  AVlien  called  to  the 
service  of  the  Seminary,  he  had  reached  almost  three- 
score years ;  but  the  enthusiasm  with  which  he  gave 
himself  up  to  his  work  never  waned  to  the  last,  nor 
did  the  strength  and  charm  of  his  Christian  exam- 
ple. He  retained  m  old  age  full  possession  of  all 
his  powers,  and  they  were  beautified  by  the  very  in- 
nocence and  simplicity  of  childhood.  I  never  saw  an 
instance  of  the  two  extremes  of  life,  its  fresh  sweet 
daw^n  and  its  late  sober  eve,  blending  in  fairer  colors. 
"  How  calmly  he  sat  in  his  stall  in  the  cathedral  of 
life,  with  the  banner  of  Christ's  love  over  his  head, 
w^^iting  for  the  service  to  be  over,  that  he  might  say 
with  all  his  heart,  Amen  !  "  ^ 

The  coming  of  Henry  Boynton  Smith  to  New  York 
w^as  an  event  in  the  history,  not  of  the  Union  Theo- 
loirical  Seminary  onlv,  but  of  the  Presbvterian  Church. 
He  came  after  long  deliberation,  and  deeply  imj^ressed 
wdth  both  the  importance  and  the  difficulties  of  the 
position.    Some  of  his  most  influential  friends  protested 

1  Dr.  William  Adams. 


66  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

strongly  against  his  leaving  New  England.  I  remem- 
ber well  the  sharp  conflict  of  mind  through  which  he 
passed  on  reaching  the  final  decision.  No  man  ever 
took  so  grave  a  step  less  blindly.  His  keen  eye  almost 
by  intuition  seized  and  comprehended  the  situation,  — 
its  strength  and  its  weakness.  In  a  letter  to  me,  dated 
Amherst,  September  17,  1850,  he  wTites:  — 

I  go  to  New  York  in  full  view  of  all  tiie  uncertainties 
and  diffieuhies  of  the  position.  The  literary  character  of  the 
Seminary  is  slight,  its  zeal  in  theological  science  is  little,  the 
need  of  a  comprehensive  range  of  theological  studies  and  of 
books  thereto  has  got  to  be  created.  Its  theological  position 
is  ,not  defined.  It  stands  somewhere  between  Andover  and 
Princeton,  just  as  New  School  Presbyterianism  stands  between 
Congregationalism  and  the  consistent  domineering  Presby- 
terianism, and  it  will  be  pressed  on  all  sides.  Whether  it  is 
to  be  resolved  into  these  two,  or  to  be  consolidated  on  its 
own  ground,  is  still  a  problem.  These  things  will  make 
one's  position  a  little  more  free,  but  at  the  same  time  they 
will  make  it  more  arduous.  I  am  going  there  to  work,  —  to 
work,  I  trust,  for  my  Master. 

His  inaugural  address  on  Church  History  revealed 
to  many  a  student  of  divinity  a  new  realm  of  truth, 
as  well  as  a  new  method  of  learning  trutli,  while  it 
elicited  from  tlie  best  scholarship  of  the  country  ex- 
pressions of  approval  and  delight  scarcely  less  striking 
than  those  which  greeted  his  address  at  Andover,  tw^o 
years  before,  on  the  "  Relations  of  Faith  and  Philos- 
ophy." "  Your  orations,"  Mr.  George  Bancroft  wrote 
to  him,  ''  are  admirable.    I  know  no  one  in  the  country 


THE   WORK   OF  DEPARTED  PROFESSORS.  CY 

but  yourself  wlio  could  have  writteu  them.     In  Cluu-ch 
History  you  have  no  rival  in  this  hemisphere." 

Dr.  Smith's  transfer,  in  1854,  to  the  chair  of  Syste- 
matic Theology  met  with  strenuous  opposition  in  the 
Board  of  Directors  and  also  in  the  Faculty.  Nobody 
else,  it  was  said,  could  fill  his  place  in  the  chair  of 
Church  History.  But  admirable  as  he  was  in  that 
department,  theolog-y  pure  and  simple  was  really  his 
forte  ;  and  I  think  he  knew  it.  Here  all  his  gifts, 
both  natural  and  supernatural,  original  or  acquired, 
had  ample  scope,  and  wrought  in  perfect  unison ;  — 
his  acuteness  and  mental  grasp,  his  power  of  scientific 
analysis  and  clear,  discriminating  statement,  his  genial, 
quaint  humor,  his  vast  learning,  his  familiarity  with  all 
philosophy  as  well  as  all  divinity,  his  fine  literary 
culture,  his  spiritual  insight,  his  pious  humilit}'  and 
reverence,  his  absolute  allegiance  to  the  truth  and 
kingdom  of  Christ,  his  Lord.  Hence  the  variety 
and  catholicity,  as  well  as  strength,  of  his  influence 
as  a  theological  teacher.  No  susceptible  mind  could 
long  be  subjected  to  this  influence  without  feeling 
itself  in  an  atmosphere  of  true  light. 

Some,  who  did  not  know  him  well,  used  to  wonder 
how  this  quiet,  unpretending  scholar  could  come  liere 
from  New  England,  and  begin  forthwith  to  wield  such 
an  influence  in  the  New  School  Presbyterian  Church. 
Nothing  is  easier  to  explain.  He  brought  with  him 
the  ideas  and  principles  which  had  called  that  Church 
into  separate  existence,  had  inspired  its  early  struggles. 


68  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

East  and  West,  and  largely  constituted  its  proper 
strength ;  while  at  the  same  time  his  New  England 
and  German  training  had  kept  him  free  from  the  dis- 
turbing passions  and  prejudices  engendered  by  the 
great  division.  If  he  had  been  a  vain,  conceited  man ; 
if  he  had  not  been  a  very  prudent,  far-sighted  man, 
self-poised,  reticent,  wise  as  a  serpent  and  harmless  as 
a  dove,  thoroughly  loyal  to  the  obligations  of  his  new 
position,  and,  above  all,  to  the  Divine  Master, —  if  he 
had  not  been  all  this,  the  fact  that  he  not  only  at 
once  became  a  power,  but  so  soon  began  to  Avield  a 
shaping  influence,  in  the  New  School  Presbyterian 
Church,  would  be  hard  to  explain  in  a  way  creditable 
to  either  party.  As  it  was,  I  repeat,  nothing  is  easier 
to  explain.  In  three  months  Prof.  Smith  found  him- 
self as  much  at  home  and  in  his  element  in  New  York, 
as  he  had  been  in  Andover  or  in  Amherst.  The  lead- 
ing ministers  of  the  Church  of  his  adoption  welcomed 
him  to  its  fellowship  and  service.  Such  men  as 
Skinner,  Cox,  and  Adams,  Asa  D.  Smith,  Hatfield, 
Albert  Barnes  of  Philadelphia,  and  many  others  like 
them,  were  men  after  his  own  heart.  He  soon  learned 
to  love  and  honor  them ;  and  it  was  beautiful  to  see 
how  soon  they  learned  to  love  and  trust,  and,  in  grave 
matters  both  ecclesiastical  and  theological,  even  look 
up  to  him.  Before  he  came,  some  of  them  had  their 
doubts  and  fears  ;  he  had  studied  in  Germany,  and 
had  publicly  testified  his  reverence  for  the  name  of 
Schleierraacher     At   the    time  of  his   nomination    in 


THE   WORK   OF  DEPARTED  PROFESSORS.  G9 

the  Board  of  Directors,  the  oddress  at  Andover  con- 
taining- this  testimony  was  brought  forward,  and  tlie 
question  raised  of  his  entire  soundness  in  the  faith. 
His  Christological  views  had  also  excited  some  mis- 
giving. Shortly  after  his  election,  he  wrote  from 
New  York :  — 

Last  evening  I  spent  wholl}',  till  eleven  o'clock  and  after, 
with  Dr.  Wliite,  talking  over  the  whole  Semhiary  and  matters 
thereto  belonging.  He  was  rather  curious  about  some  of  my 
theological  opinions,  and  we  got  into  a  regular  discussion  of 
two  hours  on  the  person  of  Christ,  in  which  he  claimed  that 
I  advocated  something  inconsistent  with  the  Catechism,  and 
I  claimed  that  he  taught  what  was  against  the  Catechism, 
which  was  rather  a  hard  saving  against  an  old-established 
professor  of  theology.  However,  it  was  all  very  well  and 
kind  on  both  sides,  and  did  not  prevent  his  urging  my  coming 
here. 

But  no  sooner  was  he  on  the  ground  and  at  work 
tlian  doubts  and  fears,  so  far  as  any  such  still  existed, 
began  to  give  way ;  and  before  he  passed  from  the 
chair  of  Church  History  to  that  of  Systematic  Theol- 
ogy, he  had  become,  I  believe,  as  firmly  rooted  in  the 
confidence  and  affection  of  the  New  Scliool  ministers 
and  laymen  of  Ncav  York  and  vicinity  —  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  Church  at  large  —  as  if  he  had  spent  his 
whole  life  among  them.  In  the  matter  of  church 
polity,  he  held  that,  notwithstanding  the  difference  of 
forms  and  rule,  the  ecclesiastical  principles  of  Pres- 
byterianism  and  of  the  old  Congregationalism  of  New 
England  were  essentially  the  same  j  as  to  other  jioints, 


70  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

he  was  still  among  Calvinistic  ministers  of  the  moder- 
ate type,  —  a  type  at  once  conservative  and  liberal,  — 
and  among  Christian  men  and  women  of  the  New 
Testament  type.  But  Avliile  Prof.  Smith's  theology 
brought  him  into  cordial  sympathy  and  fellowship 
with  the  great  body  of  New  School  ministers,  it  was 
at  the  same  time  so  independent,  so  catholic,  and  so 
mediatory  in  its  spirit,  that  it  brought  him  into  ever- 
growing sympathy  with  many  Old  School  ministers ; 
thus  preparing  the  way  for  the  all-important  part 
assigned  him  by  Providence  in  initiating  and  helping 
to  accomplish  the  great  reunion  of  1869. 

Of  William  Adams  there  is  no  need  that  I  speak 
at  all  to  many  here  present ;  nor  can  T  say  anything 
that  must  not  seem  feeble  in  comparison  with  what 
their  own  memories  will  say  at  the  bare  mention  of 
his  name,  for  he  was  their  old  pastor,  their  revered 
teacher,  their  dear  friend.  And  yet,  few  as  have  been 
the  years  since  his  departure,  they  separate  him  as  by 
a  generation  from  those  now  passing  through  the  Semi- 
nary. The  last  day  of  August,  1880,  when  he  left  us 
for  the  Church  above,  seems  far  back  in  the  past.  But 
if  it  were  many  times  as  far,  the  distance  could  only 
serve  to  render  more  distinct  and  impressive  the  image 
of  that  remarkable  man.  Wliat  a  unique  personality 
was  his !  How  many  fine  elements  of  both  nature 
and  grace  combined  to  form  it !  Wliat  ripe  experi- 
ence,  what  fervor  of  spirit,   what  broad,    Christ-like 


THE   WORK  OF  DEPARTED  PROFESSORS.  71 

sympathies,  what  tenderness,  what  refi"esliiii<^-  outflow 
of  devout  feeling-,  what  fehcity  of  thought  and  ex})i'es- 
sion !  A  di'ive  with  him  through  the  Central  Park, 
an  evening  with  him  in  familiar  talk,  a  little  journey 
with  him  as  companion,  —  each  was  an  event  in  one's 
ordinary  life. 

For  four  and  forty  years  Dr.  Adams  was  a  Director 
and  steadfast  friend  of  the  Seminary ;  for  seven  years 
its  President  and  Professor  of  Sacred  Rhetoi'ic.  Great, 
varied,  and  far-reachin2r  as  was  his  usefulness  durinof 
his  long  pastorate,  these  seven  closing  years  embraced 
the  crowning  work  of  his  life.  No  other  man  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  could  have  accomplished  what 
he  did  in  this  brief  period.  The  Seminary  reaped  the 
consummate  fruit  of  his  labors  and  his  influence.  No 
other  minister  in  New  York  had  so  wide  an  acquaint- 
ance, or  so  many  friends  among  its  leading  Christian 
laymen ;  no  one  else  by  reason  of  age  and  service 
stood  so  high  in  the  public  esteem.  He  was  by  gen- 
eral consent  one  of  our  most  eminent  citizens,  and 
the  foremost  representative  of  the  Presbyterian  clergy- 
He  could,  therefore,  as  President  of  the  Seminary, 
speak  for  it  with  extraordinary  force  of  appeal.  Witli- 
out  dwelling  here  upon  the  manner  in  which  he  ful- 
filled in  it  the  office  of  teacher,  or  upon  his  many 
otlier  claims  to  our  gratitude,  we  are  indebted  to  him 
and  his  influence  for  the  mnnificent  gift  of  8300,000 
by  Mr.  James  Brown  for  the  full  endowment  of  the 
chairs   of  instruction,  —  the   wisest  and  most  consid- 


72  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

erate,  as  well  as  largest,  gift  ever  made  to  tlie  insti- 
tution ;  for  Governor  Morgan's  gift  of  $100,000  to 
erect  a  fire-proof  library  building  and  serve  as  the 
nucleus  of  a  library  fund ;  and  also  for  this  beautiful 
chapel,  reared  to  his  memory  by  his  old  friend  and 
parishioner,  Mr.  Marquand. 

I  have  spoken  of  departed  Professors.  I  wish  it 
were  proper  for  me  to  speak  with  equal  freedom  of 
my  beloved  colleagues,  to  whom  the  precious  interests 
of  the  Seminary  are  now  intrusted.  My  age  and  long 
connection  with  the  institution  will  justify  me,  I  trust, 
in  saying  this  much :  that  truer  or  better  men  have 
never  sat  in  its  chairs  of  instruction,  or  toiled  and 
prayed  for  its  prosperity.  Each  in  his  own  way,  and 
according  to  the  measure  of  the  gift  of  God,  and  all 
in  such  hearty  union  and  concert  as  becomes  Christian 
scholars,  they  have  labored  and  are  laboring  to  accom- 
plish the  design  of  its  founders.  They  need,  it  is  true, 
no  praise  of  mine ;  and  yet  why  should  I  not  be  al- 
lowed to  say  what,  I  am  sure,  is  in  the  thoughts  and 
hearts  of  so  many  before  me  I 


THE  LIBRARY,  ITS   GROWTH  AND  NEEDS.  73 


IX. 


THE  LIBRARY,  ITS  GROWTH  AND  NEEDS.  —  SOME  LESSONS 

OF    THE    SEMI-CENTENNIAL    CATALOGUE.  NATIONAL 

AND    MISSIONARY    CHARACTER    OF    THE    SEMINARY. 

ITS    ALUMNI. 

Our  Library  contains  about  55,000  volumes,  47,000 
pamphlets,  and  183  manuscripts.  Its  history  forms 
one  of  the  most  striking  chapters  in  the  annals  of  the 
institution.  The  famous  Van  Ess  collection  was  its 
nucleus.  How  that  collection  came  into  our  posses- 
sion is  related  by  Dr.  Hatfield  in  The  Early  Annals 
of  Union  Theological  Seminary.  Having-  dei)icted  the 
financial  trials  which  marked  the  second  year  of  the 
Seminary,  he  proceeds  as  follows :  — 

Thus  far  very  httle  had  been,  or  could  have  been,  done  in 
the  way  of  securing  that  indispensable  acquisition,  a  theologi- 
cal library.  An  empty  treasury,  and  heavy  indebtedness  for 
stone  and  mortar,  gave  small  promise  for  the  desired  attain- 
ment. A  kind  Providence,  long  years  before,  however,  had 
anticipated  this  very  want.  One  result  of  the  bloody  conflicts 
that  desolated  the  fairest  portions  of  Europe  at  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century,  and  particularly  of  the  Peace  of  Lune- 
ville,  February  9,  1801,  was  the  secularization  of  the  terri- 
tories of  the  prelates,  and  the  sequestration  of  the  property 
of  religious  houses  in  Germany,  taking  effect  early  in  1803. 
Among  the  sufferers  by  this  spoliation  was  the  Benedictine 
monastery  of  St.  Mary,  at  Paderborn.    Anticipating  this  event, 


74  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

the  fraternity  appropriated  individually  so  much  of  the  com- 
mon property  as  could  be  divided  among  them.  The  monastic 
library  had  been  the  growth  of  centuries.  At  the  time  of  the 
Reformation,  a  collection  had  been  made  of  the  controversial 
literature  of  the  period,  mostly  in  the  original  editions.  Some 
six  hundred  works  of  this  description,  large  and  small,  had 
thus  found  their  way  into  a  small  apartment,  the  door  of 
which  was  marked  with  the  words  "  Libri  Prohibiti,"  of  which 
the  key  was  kept  by  a  monk  whose  family  name  was  Leander 
Van  Ess.  This  collection,  with  other  volumes,  fell  to  the 
share  of  this  trusted  brother,  then  about  thirty  years  of  age. 
Not  long  afterwards  he  became  the  Roman  Catholic  Professor 
of  Divinity  in  the  ancient  University  of  Marburg.  An  ardent 
thirst  for  learning  had  characterized  him  from  boyhood.  To 
the  study  of  the  original  Scriptures  he  gave  himself  with  in- 
tense interest.  He  was  thereby  led,  through  divine  grace, 
into  the  liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  He  became  a  devout 
and  devoted  follower  of  the  Lamb  of  God.  Full  of  his  new- 
found joy,  he  longed  to  impart  of  his  spiritual  wealth  to  his 
countrymen.  He  set  himself,  therefore,  to  make  a  careful 
and  accurate  version  of  the  Bible,  particularly  of  the  New 
Testament,  into  the  vernacular.  He  gathered  Bibles,  poly- 
glots, lexicons,  concordances,  commentaries,  the  Latin  and 
Greek  Fathers,  the  decrees  of  councils  and  popes,  church 
histories,  and  other  similar  literary  treasures,  including  a 
large  collection  of  Incunabula,  the  rare  issues  of  the  earliest 
period  of  the  art  of  printing,  —  in  all,  with  what  he  had  saved 
from  the  wreck  at  Paderborn  (more  than  13,000  volumes), 
about  6,000  separate  works.  He  translated  the  New  Testa- 
ment into  German,  published  it  in  1810,  and,  by  the  aid  of  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  put  into  circulation,  prin- 
cipally among  the  Roman  Catholics  of  Germany,  with  the  hap- 
piest spiritual  results,  523,000  copies  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  more  than  10,000  Bibles.  Grown  old  and  infirm,  he 
retired  at  length  from  the  University  of  Marburg  to  the  quiet 


THE  LIBRARY,   ITS   GROWTH  AND  NEEDS.  75 

little  town  of  Alzey,  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  west  of  the  Rhine, 
about  equidistant  from  Mayence  and  Worms,  and  offered  his 
great  library  for  sale,  for  11,000  florins. 

Prof.  Calvin  E.  Stowe,  just  returned  from  Europe,  was 
advised  of  the  fact.  In  a  letter  from  Lane  Seminary,  to  Dr. 
Robinson,  April  3, 1837,  he  advised  the  purchase  of  this'unique 
collection  by  the  New  York  Theological  Seminary.  Terrible 
as  were  the  times.  Dr.  Robinson,  on  his  departure  for  Europe 
and  the  Holy  Land,  in  July,  was  instructed  to  obtain  the  re- 
fusal of  the  collection.  After  a  careful  examination  of  the 
books  by  Mr.  Philip  Wolff,  of  Erlangen  University,  (a  brother 
of  Mrs.  Gurdon  Buck  of  this  city,)  the  purchase  was  effected, 
in  April,  1838,  for  10,000  florins.  It  had  cost  Dr.  Van  Ess 
50,000  florins.  Its  whole  cost  to  the  Seminary,  when  it 
arrived  in  October,  all  charges  paid,  was  $5,070.08.  It  was 
received  just  in  time  to  find  its  way  into  the  alcoves  of  the 
library  room  of  the  new  building.  It  has  served  as  an  inval- 
uable nucleus  around  which  to  cluster  tlie  needful  volumes 
of  the  more  modern  press.  It  is  a  treasure,  rare  and  pecu- 
liar, whose  riches  have  as  yet  been  but  partially  explored.  If 
lost,  it  could  not  possibly  be  replaced. ^ 

To  tins  original  nucleus  have  been  added,  from  time 
to  time,  special  collections,  together  with  many  tliou- 
sands  of  separate  volumes  and  pamphlets,  until  we 
have  one  of  the  best  theological  libraries  in  the  coun- 
try. For  this  result  we  owe  a  large  debt  of  gratitude 
in  particular  to  the  skill,  labors,  and  scholarly  devo- 
tion of  three  former  Librarians,  Dr.  Edward  Robinson 
(1841-1850),  Dr.  Henry  B.  Smith  (1850-1876),  and 

1  An  article  on  the  Van  Ess  collection,  entitled  "  Treasures  of  a  New- 
York  Library,"  appeared  in  The  Evening  Post  of  Mav  8,  1888.  It  was 
written  by  Prof.  T.  F.  Crane,  of  Cornell  University.  The  larger  portion 
of  this  very  interesting  article  will  be  found  in  Note  D,  p.  101. 


76  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

Dr.  Charles  A.  Briggs  (1876-1883).  In  almost  all 
departments  of  bibliography  they  were  at  home ;  in 
some  of  the  most  important  they  were  accomplished 
experts.  Several  of  the  special  collections  to  which 
I  have  referred  bear  the  names  of  old  friends  of  the 
Seminary,  having  been  given  to  it  by  tlieir  surviv- 
ing families.  In  this  way  the  very  valuable  libraries 
of  Dr.  Hatfield  and  Dr.  Gillett  became  a  part  of  our 
own.  It  has  been  enriched  also  by  additions  from 
the  collections  of  Edward  Robinson,  David  D.  Field, 
John  Marsh,  Henry  B.  Smith,  William  Adams,  and 
others. 

Three  of  its  departments  have  been  endowed ;  two 
of  them  by  David  H.  McAlpin,  namely,  the  "  McAlpin 
Collection,"  and  the  "  Gillett  Collection,"  named  after 
his  life-long  friend,  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  E.  H.  Gillett ; 
and  the  third,  the  "  Henry  B,  Smith  Memorial  Library 
of  Philosophy,"  by  the  Professors  and  iVlumni  of  the 
institution.  The  McAlpin  Collection  is  particularly 
rich  in  Westminster  Assembly  literature.  This  depart- 
ment contains  not  a  few  works  that  could  hardly  be 
replaced,  —  Puritan  catechisms  before  those  of  West- 
minster, for  example;  nor,  taken  as  a  whole,  can  its 
equal  probably  be  found  under  one  roof,  anywhere 
outside  of  the  British  Museum. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  but  few  even  of  the  Directors 
of  the  Seminary  have  any  adequate  conception  of  the 
treasures  of  theological  literature  and  learning  hidden 
away  in  our  alcoves.     And    yet,  good    as  it  is,   our 


THE  LIBRARY,   ITS   GROWTH  AND  NEEDS.  77 

Library  ought  to  be  far  better.  Its  deficiencies  and 
its  needs  are  still  great.  Notwithstanding  Governor 
Morgan's  gift,  an  additional  library  fund  of  $100,000 
would  be  a  veritable  god-send  to  the  institution.  Ev- 
ery one  of  its  teachers  is  more  or  less  thwarted  in  his 
work  because  the  book  he  wants  to  read  or  consult 
is  so  often  sought  for  in  vain.  To  me  it  is  a  matter 
of  endless  wonder,  that  men  of  wealth,  who  believe 
in  the  power  of  books,  take  delight  in  giving,  and  de- 
sire to  do  good  in  the  most  enduring  way,  do  not  put 
more  of  their  money  into  so  precious  a  reservoir  of 
knowledge,  both  human  and  divine,  as  the  Library  of 
the  Union  Theological  Seminary.  Such  a  reservoir  is 
an  inexhaustible  fountain  of  good  influences.  The 
time  is  not,  I  trust,  so  very  far  distant  when  every 
lover  and  investigator  of  sacred  truth,  from  fiu-  and 
near,  will  be  able  here  to  find  whatever  he  may  want 
in  the  way  of  books,  be  he  a  Protestant,  a  Roman 
Catholic,  or  a  Jewish  scholar. 

In  addition  to  the  Library  we  have  a  Museum,  which 
bids  fair  to  become  one  of  our  most  attractive  and 
valuable  possessions.  It  includes  Biblical  and  Chris- 
tian antiquities,  rare  manuscripts,  characteristic  speci- 
mens of  mediaeval  and  early  Reformation  books  and 
pamphlets,  together  with  objects  illustrative  of  Mis- 
sionary life  and  w^ork. 

The  Semi-Centennial  Catalogue  of  the  Seminary, 
prepared  with  so  much  care  by  tlie  present  Librarian, 
is  full  of  instructive  facts  bearing  upon  the  history 


78  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

and  working  power  of  the  institution.  I  must  con- 
tent myself  with  calHng  your  attention  to  a  few  of 
them.  Tlie  first  thing  that  strikes  us  is  the  fact,  tliat, 
instead  of  belonging  to  the  cities  of  New  York  and 
Brooklyn,  as  was  expected  by  the  founders  of  the 
Seminary,  the  most  of  its  students  have  come  from 
New  England,  from  the  rural  districts  of  New  York, 
from  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  from  the  South, 
and  West,  and  farthest  Northwest,  —  in  a  word,  from 
all  quarters  of  the  land,  and  even  from  beyond  the  sea. 
The  graduating  class  of  1837,  for  example,  consisted  of 
a  sinofle  student,  and  he  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts. 
The  class  of  1838  contained  nine  students,  and  of  these 
three  came  from  Connecticut,  three  from  the  interior  of 
New  York,  one  from  New  Jersey,  one  from  Vermont, 
none  from  Brookl}^,  and  one  only  from  New  York 
City.  The  class  of  1839  contained  thirty;  of  these 
ten  were  natives  of  Massachusetts,  two  of  Connecti- 
cut, one  of  Rhode  Island,  one  of  Vermont,  one  of  New 
Hampshire,  six  of  the  interior  of  New  York,  one  of 
Pennsylvania,  one  of  New  Jersey,  one  of  Ireland,  two 
only  of  Brooklyn,  and  four  of  the  city  of  New  York. 
The  class  of  1840  numbered  twenty-eight;  of  these 
fourteen  came  from  the  interior  of  New  York,  six 
from  Connecticut,  two  from  Massachusetts,  two  from 
Vermont,  one  from  Pennsylvania,  one  from  Scotland, 
two  from  the  city  of  New  York,  and  none  from 
Brooklyn. 

The  class  of   1850  numbered  forty-five  ;    of  these 


THE   SEMI-CENTENNIAL    CATALOGUE.  79 

eighteen  came  from  the  interior  of  New  York,  five 
from  Connecticut,  fom'  from  Massachusetts,  two  from 
New  Hampshire,  four  from  Vermont,  one  from  New 
Jersey,  one  from  Pennsylvania,  one  from  IlHnois, 
three  from  Tennessee,  one  from  Michigan,  one  from 
Kentucky,  one  from  Bohemia,  two  only  from  the  city 
of  New  York,  and  one  from  Brooklyn.  The  class  of 
18G0  numbered  fifty-three;  of  these  eight  came  from 
Massachusetts,  five  from  Connecticut,  three  from  New 
Hampshire,  one  from  Rhode  Island,  one  from  Ver- 
mont, two  from  Ohio,  one  from  Michigan,  one  from 
Illinois,  four  from  Pennsylvania,  three  from  New 
Jersey,  one  from  Virginia,  one  from  the  District  of 
Columbia,  one  from  New  Brunswick,  one  from  Scot- 
land, one  from  Schleswig-Holstein,  one  from  France, 
nine  from  the  interior  of  New  York,  nine  from  New 
York  City,  and  none  from  Brooklyn. 

Let  us  now  take  a  class  graduating  in  the  midst  of 
the  civil  war,  that  of  1863.  It  numbered  fifty;  of 
these  eleven  came  from  the  interior  of  New  York, 
three  from  Massachusetts,  three  from  Vermont,  four 
from  New  Hampshire,  two  from  Maine,  two  from 
Connecticut,  three  from  Oliio,  three  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, one  from  Maryland,  one  from  Virginia,  three 
from  New  Jersey,  two  from  Tennessee,  one  from  Ala- 
bama, one  from  Scotland,  one  from  Persia,  one  from 
Greece,  one  from  England,  three  from  Brooklyn,  and 
four  from  New  York  City.  The  class  of  1870  num- 
bered sixty-one ;   of  these  fourteen  came  from  Ohio, 


80  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

fourteen  from  the  interior  of  New  York,  two  from 
Massachusetts,  three  from  Pennsylvania,  one  from  Wis- 
consin, three  from  New  Jersey,  one  from  South  Caro- 
lina, two  from  Connecticut,  two  from  Vermont,  four 
from  Michigan,  two  from  Indiana,  one  from  Kentucky, 
two  from  Scotland,  one  from  Ireland,  one  from  France, 
one  from  Rhenish  Prussia,  one  from  Canada,  one  from 
Syria,  one  from  Brooklyn,  and  four  from  New  York 
City. 

Passing  on  to  1885,  we  find  a  class  of  forty-nine, 
distributed  as  follows :  two  from  Vermont,  two  from 
Massachusetts,  one  from  Rhode  Island,  ten  from  the 
interior  of  New  York,  eight  from  Pennsylvania,  two 
from  New  Jersey,  one  from  Nova  Scotia,  two  from 
Indiana,  two  from  Illinois,  three  from  Ohio,  two  from 
Missouri,  one  from  Texas,  one  from  Louisiana,  one 
from  Virginia,  one  from  the  Indian  Territory,  one  from 
Maryland,  one  from  Austria,  one  from  Germany,  one 
from  Brooklyn,  and  six  from  the  city  of  New  York. 

At  first,  almost  none  came  from  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  none  from  beyond  the  Mississippi,  and  few 
from  Pennsylvania  or  the  South.  The  founders  as 
little  dreamed,  in  1836,  that  they  were  establishing  a 
theological  seminary  for  the  whole  Union,  rather  than 
for  New  York  City  and  Brookljm,  as  they  dreamed 
that  in  less  than  fifty  years  the  whole  Union  would 
extend  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  shores,  and 
be  covered  with  a  network  of  tens  of  tliousands  of 
miles  of  railroad,  on  which  students  would   be  able 


THE  ALUMNI.  81 

to  travel  hither  from  Texas,  from  Oregon,  or  from 
Cahfornia  as  easily,  and  almost  as  quickly,  as  from 
adjoining  cities. 

The  number  of  students  matriculated  from  the  be- 
ginning has  been  2,230.  Of  these  2,040,  or  over  91 
jier  cent,  were  college-bred;  1,856,  or  over  83  per 
cent,  were  actually  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry ; 
and  164,  or  1\  per  cent,  went  into  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sion field/  As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  1,774  of 
the  whole  number  matriculated  are  still  living.  It 
would  be  interesting  to  know  how  many  of  our  stu- 
dents received  aid  from  the  churches,  and  to  what 
extent  they  were  aided,  in  preparing  for  the  ministry. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  large  majority  of  them 
owed  their  education,  in  whole  or  in  part,  to  such  aid  ; 
and  to  this  class  belong  many  of  the  most  honored 
names  on  the  roll  of  American  pastors,  missionaries, 
and  theological  teachers  during  the  last  half-century. 
These  names  would,  perhaps,  surprise  some  of  those 
who  look  with  disfavor  upon  the  old  methods  of 
helping  pious  youth  in  their  preparation  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  or  who  are  inclined  to  consider  theological 
students  as  a  class  inferior  in  personal  quality,  energy, 
and  mental  stamina  to  the  students  of  our  other  jiro- 
fessions  and  callings  in  life. 

The  glory  of  a  theological  seminary  is  its  alumni ; 
and  in  unison  with   this  sentiment  we    have   desired 

1  Tn  Note  E,  p.  107,  will  be  found  the  names  of  our  Alumni  who  have 
entered  the  Foreign  Mission  field,  together  with  their  places  of  labor. 


82  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

that  the  celebration  of  our  Serai-Centenarj  might  be 
as  far  as  possible  a  family  observance.  None  can 
gather  around  the  old  hearthstone  with  just  the  feel- 
ings of  those  who  were  reared  and  once  worshipped 
there.  Most  heartily  do  we  welcome  you,  brethren 
of  the  alumni,  who  are  with  us  to-day,  and  only  wish 
we  could  bid  all  who  are  absent  welcome  also.  What 
an  assembly  would  the  more  than  seventeen  hundred 
and  threescore  living  alumni  of  the  Seminary  form, 
if  from  the  different  parts  of  our  own  land,  and  of 
pagan  lands,  where,  standing  in  their  lot  and  place, 
they  serve  the  Divine  Master,  we  could  summon  them 
all  hither  to  take  part  with  us  in  this  glad  reunion ! 
What  crowns  of  glory  would  encircle  the  heads  of 
not  a  few  of  them  !  Wliat  forms  bent  low  by  the 
burden  and  heat  of  the  long  day !  What  counte- 
nances marred  by  trouble  and  suffering,  yet  transfig- 
ured by  the  peace  of  God !  What  youthful  enthusiasm 
going  forth  to  its  work,  or,  after  years  of  toil,  ripened 
into  the  meek  wisdom  of  experience  and  the  full  as- 
surance of  hope  !  What  learning,  Iniman  and  divine  ! 
What  gifts  of  speech  in  the  tongues  both  of  men  and 
of  angels  !  In  a  word,  what  a  noble  company  it  would 
be  of  true-hearted  faithful  men,  young  and  old  and 
middle-aged,  who  adore  Jesus  Christ,  live  for  Him, 
and  look  forward  with  joy  to  His  appearing!  God 
bless  them,  wherever  they  are ! 


RELATION  OF   THE   SEMINARY   TO    THE  PAST.      83 


X. 


PRESENT    CONDITION    OF  THE  SEMINARY. ITS  RELATION 

TO    THE    PAST    AND    THE    FUTURE. 

I  HAVE  given  thus  a  hasty  sketch  of  the  origin  and 
growth  of  the  Seminary.  Before  closing,  let  me  say 
a  word  of  its  present,  as  related  to  its  past  and  its 
future.  Fifty  years  have  wrought  great  changes  in 
every  department  of  human  affiiirs, — in  society,  in 
government,  in  business,  in  literature,  in  science  and 
philosophy,  and  in  religious  thought ;  in  other  words, 
during  all  these  fifty  years  God  has  been  busy  in  the 
world,  still  unfolding  and  carrying  forward  His  eter- 
nal plan.  It  would  be  strange  indeed,  therefore,  if 
the  Union  Theological  Seminary  all  this  time  had  not 
undergone  a  change,  and  that  for  the  better.  Wher- 
ever there  is  spiritual  life  and  power,  there  will  also 
be  spiritual  progress. 

In  1836  the  Presbj^terian  Church,  though  visibly 
one,  was  agitated  by  bitter  controversies  about  policy 
and  doctrine.  Two  years  later,  it  was  rent  in  twain 
from  top  to  bottom.  The  Union  Seminary  found  itself 
on  the  New  School  side.  After  more  than  thirty  years 
of  separate  existence,  —  each  going  meanwhile  its  own 
way,  and  caring  for  its  own  interests,  —  the  severed 
branches  were  happily  reunited.    As  a  reunited  Church 


84  THE    UNION  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

we  have  walked  together  in  such  peace  for  more  than 
half  a  generation,  that  the  very  memories  of  the  strife 
and  division  have  almost  faded  out.  Old  School  and 
New  School  are  antiquated  names;  they  designate  the 
honest  differences  of  good  men  and  good  Presbyte- 
rians in  a  former  age.  And  with  the  old  party  names, 
the  old  antipathies,  prejudices,  and  misunderstandings 
have  also  been  buried  in  oblivion.  In  that  better 
country,  where,  resting  from  their  labors,  and  in  the 
goodly  fellowship  of  patriarchs,  prophets,  apostles, 
evangelists,  and  saints  of  all  ages,  they  follow  the 
Lamb  whithersoever  He  goeth,  how  little  Robert  J. 
Breckinridge  and  Absalom  Peters,  Lyman  Beecher 
and  Joshua  L.  Wilson,  Albert  Barnes  and  George 
Junkin,  Charles  Hodge  and  Thomas  H.  Skinner, 
William  Adams  and  James  W.  Alexander,  or  Henry 
B.  Smith  and  that  eminent  servant  of  Christ  who  has 
just  passed  so  suddenly  within  the  veil,  Archibald 
Alexander  Hodge,  —  how  little  do  these  glorified  spir- 
its trouble  themselves  about  the  points  of  either  Old 
School  or  New  School  theology  whicli  they  once 
deemed  so  important !  And  even  here  on  earth,  al- 
though our  eyes  are  not  illumined  like  theirs  by  the 
beatific  vision,  we  can  yet  see  plainly  enough  that  on 
both  sides  there  was  more  or  less  of  truth  and  rig^ht, 
and  on  both  sides  more  or  less  of  error,  mistake, 
and  passion,  —  as  was  to  be  expected  of  poor  fallible 
mortals. 

But  while  so  many  doctrinal  speculations  and  burn- 


WHERE  DOES    THE   SEMINARY  NOW  STAND?      85 

ing  questions  of  fifty  years  ng-o  have  vanished  away, 
how  many  new  ones  have  sprung  into  existence  and 
are  chimoring  for  both  a  hearing  and  a  decision ! 
Where  does  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  stand  in 
relation  to  these  !  I  thirdv  I  may  answer  confidentl}^, 
with  the  hearty  assent  of  my  honored  colleagues,  that 
its  position  is  still  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  its 
revered  founders,  —  those  men  of  ''moderate  views 
and  feelings,  who  desired  to  live  free  from  party  strife, 
and  to  stand  aloof  from  all  extremes  of  doctrine  and 
practice."  But  moderation,  as  they  understood  and 
practised  it,  was  not  apathy,  or  neutrality,  or  timidity 
touching  Christian  truth  and  duty ;  it  was  the  patient 
forbearance,  candor,  self-restraint,  and  kindly  temper 
that  have  their  root  in  humility  and  depth  of  convic- 
tion ;  it  was  the  sweet  reasonableness  that  is  born  of 
faith  in  the  power  and  ultimate  triumph  of  the  divine 
ideas  and  principles  of  God's  Word.  It  was  what 
Paul  meant  when  he  wrote,  "  Let  your  moderation  be 
known  unto  all  men ;  the  Lord  is  at  hand."  Armed 
with  such  Christian  moderation,  both  of  opinion  and 
feeling,  the  Union  Seminary  is  neither  affrighted  nor 
tlu'own  off  its  balance  by  the  hardest  problems  of  the 
hour,  whether  in  science  or  religion,  —  whether  they 
relate  to  the  origin,  nature,  and  eternal  destiny  of 
man,  or  to  the  wonderful  works  and  ways  of  God  in 
creation  and  providence,  or  to  Jesus  Christ  and  His 
gospel.  On  these  questions,  and  all  other  questions 
that  puzzle  the  will  and  task  the  intellect  of  the  age, 


86  THE    UNION  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

this  Seminary  is  ready  to  adopt  as  its  own  the  words 
of  Lord  Bacon  :  — 

Let  no  man,  upon  a  weak  conceit  of  sobriety,  or  an  ill- 
applied  moderation,  think  or  maintain  that  a  man  can  search 
too  far,  or  be  too  well  studied  in  the  book  of  God's  Word,  or 
in  the  book  of  God's  works,  —  divinity  or  philosophy  ;  but 
rather  let  men  endeavor  an  endless  progress  and  proficience 
in  both  ;  only  let  men  beware  that  they  apply  both  to  charity, 
and  not  to  swelling;  to  use,  and  not  to  ostentation ;  and 
again,  that  they  do  not  unwisely  mingle  or  confound  these 
learnings  together. 

As  to  the  future  of  the  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nar}^, I  for  one  believe  assuredly  that  it  is  destined  to 
perform  a  great  part  in  the  coming  struggles,  labors, 
and  triumphs  of  our  free  American  Christianity,  and 
of  the  Gospel  in  all  the  earth.  How  otherwise  can  we 
interpret  the  marks  of  providential  design  and  favor 
which  are  stamped  so  indelibly  upon  its  entire  history  ? 
And  to  the  end  that  it  may  rise  to  the  height  of  its 
vast  opportunity,  let  us  pray  earnestly  that  those  who 
have  charge  of  it,  whether  as  directors  or  teachers,  and 
those  who  shall  have  charge  of  it  hereafter,  may  be 
true  men,  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  May 
it  please  God  to  endue  them  plenteously  with  the 
spirit,  not  of  fear,  but  of  power,  and  of  love,  and  of  a 
sound  mind.  May  it  please  Him  also  to  impart  more 
and  more  to  our  Christian  laymen  whom  He  has  over- 
whelmed with  worldly  goods  a  magnanimous,  free- 
hearted devotion  to  the  interests  of  His  kingdom,  — 
especially  to   the   grand  object  for  promoting  which 


THE  FUTURE  OF   THE   SEMINARY.  '    87 

this  institution  was  founded  It  was,  to  use  their  own 
words,  because  they  were  ''  deeply  impressed  with  the 
claims  of  the  world  upon  the  Church  of  Christ  to  fur- 
nish a  competent  supply  of  well-educated  and  pious 
ministers  of  the  Gospel,  that  a  number  of  Christians, 
clerg-ymen  and  laymen  in  the  cities  of  New  York  and 
Brooklyn,  after  several  meeting-s  for  consultation  and 
prayer,  resolved  unanimously,  in  humble  dependence 
upon  the  grace  of  God,  to  attempt  the  establishment 
of  a  theological  seminary  in  the  city  of  New  York." 

The  history  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
during  fifty  years,  shows  what  has  grown  out  of  their 
attempt,  made  thus  in  humble  dependence  upon  Divine 
grace.  If,  ftiithful  to  the  trust  connnitted  to  us,  we, 
and  those  who  shall  take  our  places,  continue  to  be 
animated  by  the  same  liigli  motives  and  the  same 
humble  dependence  upon  the  grace  of  God,  our  next 
half-century,  I  do  not  doubt,  will  surpass  even  that 
which  is  just  closed  in  the  record  of  eminent  useful- 
ness, by  "  calling  forth  and  enlisting  in  tlie  service  of 
Christ,  and  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  genius,  talent, 
enlightened  piety,  and  missionary  zeal ;  and  by  quali- 
fying many  for  the  labors  and  management  of  the 
various  religious  institutions,  seminaries  of  learning, 
and  enterprises  of  benevolence  which  characterize  the 
present  times."  So  may  we  and  our  successors  be 
worthy  followers  of  the  noble  men  who  through  faith 
and  patience  founded  and  built  up  this  school  of  sacred 
and  inspired  theology. 


88  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

NOTE   A. 

THE   COURSE    OF    STUDY. 

The  Course  of  Theological  study  in  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  New  York,  occupies  three  years,  of  two  terms  each,  and 
Students  are  admitted  on  a  pledge  to  complete  a  full  course,  here 
or  elsewhere,  unless  unavoidably  prevented. 

In  most  of  the  departments  the  Students  are  required  to  write 
essa3's  on  the  more  important  topics  of  the  Course.  Lectures  are 
given  in  the  Parker  Lectureship  on  the  laws  of  Health,  with  spe- 
cial reference  to  its  connection  with  religious  experience  ;  in  the 
Morse  Lectureship,  on  the  relation  of  the  Bible  to  the  Sciences ; 
and  in  the  LJly  Lectureship,  on  the  Evidences  of  Christianit}', 
Lectures  are  also  given  on  the  relation  of  the  Civil  Law  to  Eccle- 
siastical Polity,  Discipline,  and  Propert3',  by  Lecturers  selected  for 
the  purpose  on  account  of  their  special  eminence  in  the  respective 
departments.  Ever^'  public  exercise  is  opened  with  prayer.  De- 
votional exercises  are  held  every  day  in  the  Chapel,  at  5  o'clock 
p.  M.,  conducted  by  the  Faculty-.  A  daily  prayer-meeting  is  main- 
tained by  the  Students. 

On  the  first  Monday  of  each  month,  the  hour  from  4  to  5  o'clock 
p.  M.  is  appropriated  to  the  exercises  of  "  The  Society  of  Inquiry 
concerning  Missions,"  and  on  the  third  Monday  the  same  hour  is 
devoted  to  a  general  meeting  for  religious  Conference  and  Prayer. 

The  Junior  Class.  —  First  Term. 

PROPEDEUTICS.  — Lectures  on  Theological  Encyclopfedia,  Method- 
ology, and  Bibliography,  once  a  week  by  Prof.  Schaff. 

PHILOLOGY.  —  1.  Introductory  Hebrew  Grammar,  with  Exercises  in 
Reading  and  Writing  Hebrew,  five  times  a  week  with  Prof.  Brown 
until  December. 

2.  Grammar  of  New  Testament  Greek,  with  reading  in  the  Gospel 
of  Matthew,  once  a  week  with  Prof.  Brown. 

EXEGESIS.  —  L  Historical  and  Critical  Introduction  to  the  New  Tes- 
tament, once  a  week  with  Prof.  Schaff. 

2.   The  Higher  and  Lower  Criticism  of  the  Old  Testament,  twice 
a  week  with  Prof.  Briggs. 


THE   COURSE   OF  STUDY.  89 

3.  Exposition  of  select  chapters  of  the  Old  Testament,  five  times 
a  week  with  Prof.  Bkown  during  December. 

4.  Exposition  of  the  Gospel  of  Mark,  twice  a  week  with  Prof. 
Browx. 

The  Greek  Gospels  of  Matthew  and  Mark  entire  are  assigned,  and 
will  be  required  in  the  Examination  at  the  close  of  the  Term. 

MISSION  WORK.  — Its  Aim,  Principles,  and  Claims,  with  outlines 
and  biographical  sketches  of  its  history,  twice  a  week  with  Prof. 
Pkkntiss. 

THE  ADVANCED  CLASS  IN  HEBREW  (1)  enters  at  once  upon 
Hebrew  Exegesis  with  Prof.  Bkiggs  twice  a  week.  They  read  selec- 
tions from  the  Historical  Books  of  the  Old  Testament  and  from  the 
Mishna  illustrating  the  several  periods  of  the  Hebrew  language. 
They  also  (2)  meet  Prof.  Brown  once  a  week  for  grammatical  drill 
and  exercises  in  the  unpointed  Hebrew  Text.  Students  entering  this 
class  are  excused  from  the  Introductory  Course  with  Prof.  Brown  ; 
but  they  are  required  to  present  a  certificate  from  the  Institute  of 
Hebrew,  or  from  their  Hebrew  Professor,  showing  that  they  have  sub- 
stantially completed  the  Inti-oductory  Hebrew  course.  Otherwise 
they  must  submit  to  an  Entrance  Examination. 

SACRED  MUSIC. — Instruction  is  given  by  Prof.  Herman  to  all  the 
Students  in  graded  classes  throughout  the  Course. 

The  Junior  Class.  —  Second  Term. 

PHILOLOGY. — 1.  Exercises  in  Hebrew  Etymology  and  Syntax,  with 

sight-reading  once  a  week  with  Prof.  Brown. 

2.  Grammar  of  New  Testament  Greek,  with  reading  in  the  Gospel 

of  Luke,  once  a  week  with  Prof.  Brown. 
EXEGESIS.  —  1.  Exposition  of  selections  from  the  Pentateuch,  twice  a 

week  with  Prof.  Brown. 

2.  Exposition  of  the  later  Historical  Books,  with  especial  reference 
to  their  illustration  from  Assyrian  and  Babylonian  history,  twice  a 
week  with  Prof.  Brown. 

3.  Exposition  of   the  Gospel  of   John,  twice  a  week  with  Prof. 

SCHAFF. 

The  Greek  Gospels  of  Luke  and  John  entire  are  assigned  for  class- 
room work  or  private  reading. 

THE  ADVANCED  CLASS  IN  HEBREW  has  critical  exercises  in 
Hebrew  Text  twice  a  week  with  Prof.  Briggs,  and  is  excused  from 
Exegesis,  Course  1  (Pentateuch). 

BIBLICAL  THEOLOGY.  —  The  Religion  of  Israel,  with  a  discussion  of 
the  principal  institutions  and  laws,  twice  a  week  with  Prof.  Briggs. 

HISTORY.  —The  Life  of  Christ,  with  references  to  Schurer,  Robinson, 
Neander,  Edersheim,  Andrews,  and  Farrar,  twice  a  week  with  Prof. 
Hitchcock. 


90  THE    UXION   THEOLOGICAL    SEMIXARY. 

APOLOGETICS. —  Christ  and  His  Apostles  as  defenders  of  the  truth. 
A  sketch  of  the  history  of  Apologetics.  Grounds  of  the  Christian 
evidence.  Strength  of  Unbelief  in  our  day  and  the  best  way  to  meet 
it.     Lectures  twice  a  week  by  Prof.  Prentiss. 

VOCAL  CULTURE.  — The  Class  is  divided  into  sections,  and  each  sec- 
tion will  have  exercises  once  a  week  with  Prof.  Roberts  for  the 
development,  strengthening,  and  management  of  the  voice,  and  in 
the  principles  of  Expression  in  Elocution  as  applied  to  the  reading  of 
extracts  in  Prose  and  Verse. 

The  Middle  Class.  —  First  Term. 

EXEGESIS.  —  Hebrew  Poetry:  Exposition  of  selections  of  various  kinds 
of  poetry  from  the  earlier  periods  of  Hebrew  History,  once  a  week 
with  Prof.  Briggs. 

The  Psalter :  Its  Poetry,  Structure,  and  Exposition,  twice  a  week 
with  Prof.  Briggs. 

Exposition  of  the  Book  of  the  Acts,  and  the  Epistle  to  the  Gala- 
tians,  twice  a  week  with  Prof.  Schaff.  The  Epistles  to  the  Thessa- 
lonians  are  assigned,  and  will  be  required  in  the  Examination. 

HISTORY.  —  The  Apostolic  Church,  with  references  to  Xeander,  Schaff, 
Conybeare  and  Howson,  Lewin,  and  Farrar,  twice  a  week  with  Prof. 
Hitchcock. 

DOGMATICS.  —  Theological  Introduction:  Method,  Nature,  and  Defini- 
tion of  Theological  Science.  Bihlioloff/j:  Revelation  and  Inspiration, 
Authenticity,  Credibility,  and  Canonicity  of  the  Scriptures.  Theology 
(proper):  Nature  and  Detinition  of  God;  Innate  Idea  of  God;  Ar- 
guments for  the  Divine  Existence;  Trinity  in  Unity.  Lectures  four 
times  a  week  by  Prof.  Shedd. 

CATECFIETICS.  —  The  Christian  instruction  of  the  young,  and  their 
preparation  for  Church  ordinances,  with  special  reference  to  the  "West- 
minster Catecliisms,  including  also  a  History  of  Religious  Nurture 
and  of  the  Sunday  School,  twice  a  week  with  Prof.  Prentiss. 

VOCAL  CULTURE. — Exercises  in  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and 
Hymns.     Each  section  of  the  Class  once  a  week  with  Prof.  Roberts. 

HOMILETICS.  —  Introductory  instruction  as  to  methods  of  pulpit  prep- 
aration, with  practical  exercises,  once  a  week  with  Prof.  Hastings. 

The  Middle  Class.  —  Second  Term. 

EXEGESIS.  —  Hebrew  Poetry :  Exposition  of  selections  from  the  later 
periods  of  Hebrew  Poetry,  twice  a  week  with  Prof.  Briggs,  includ- 
ing portions  of  Proverbs,  Job,  Song  of  Songs,  and  Ecclesiastes. 

Exposition  of  the  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians,  the  Ephesians,  the 
Colossians,  the  Philippians,  and  Philemon,  twice  a  w^eek  with  Prof. 
Schaff. 


THE    COURSE   OF  STUDY.  91 

BIBLICAL  THEOLOGY.  —  Theolotry  of  the  Old  Testament,  twice  a 
week  with  Prof.  Bkiggs. 

DOGMATICS.  —  T/icoZo^r//  (proper):  Divine  Attributes,  Decrees,  Crea- 
tion, Providence,  Miracles.  AiUhropolor/)/ :  Man's  Creation,  Primitive 
State,  Probation,  Apostasy,  Original  Sin.  Lectures  four  times  a 
week  by  Prof.  Shedd. 

CHRISTIAN  ETHICS. —  The  Moral  Principles  of  Christianity,  and 
their  Application  to  Human  Life  and  Conduct,  twice  a  week  with 
Prof.  Prentiss. 

HOMILETICS.  —  Lectures  with  Practical  Exercises,  twice  a  week  with 
Prof.  Hastings. 

VOCAL  CULTURE.  — Exercises  in  Pulpit  and  Platform  Speaking. 
Each  section  of  the  Class  once  a  week  with  Prof.  Roberts. 

The  Senior  Class.  —  First  Term. 

EXEGESIS.  —  Expo.sition  of  select  portions  of  the  Prophets,  with  special 
reference  to  the  development  of  the  Messianic  idea,  twice  a  week 
with  Prof.  Briggs. 

Exposition  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  and  of  selections  from  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  the  Catholic  Epistles,  and  from  the  Apoca- 
lypse, twice  a  week  with  Prof.  Schaff. 

BIBLICAL  THEOLOGY.  — The  Old  Testament  doctrine  of  Redemp- 
tion, once  a  week  with  Prof.  Briggs. 

HISTORY.  —  The  General  History  of  the  Christian  Church  from  the 
death  of  the  Apostle  John,  with  reference  to  Gieseler,  Neander,  Ilagen- 
bach,  Winer,  and  Schaffo  Special  prominence  is  given  to  the  secular 
environment  of  the  Church,  and  to  the  development  of  Doctrine. 
The  Ancient  Church,  four  times  a  week  with  Prof.  Hitchcock. 

DOGMATICS.— C/im/o/o(7^;  Christ's  theanthropic  Person,  Divinity, 
Humanity;  Soteriologi/ :  Christ's  mediatorial  Offices;  Vicai'ious 
Atonement.     Lectures  twice  a  week  by  Prof.  Shedd. 

HOMILETICS.  —  The  composition  and  delivery  of  sermons  with  practi- 
cal exercises.  Sermons  to  be  delivered  by  each  Student  both  in 
private  and  before  the  class.  Exercises  twice  a  week  with  Prof. 
Hastings.  At  least  two  sermons  must  be  submitted  by  each  mem- 
ber of  the  class  to  the  Professor  for  private  criticism  during  the 
year. 

PASTORAL  THEOLOGY.  — The  Calling,  Qualifications,  and  Work  of 
the  Christian  Pastor.  Hyjnnology  and  Psalmody.  Lectures  once  a 
week  by  Prof.  Hastings. 

VOCAL  CULTURE.  —  Exercises  in  Pulpit  and  Platform  Speaking. 
Each  section  of  the  Class  once  a  week  with  Prof.  Roberts. 


92  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

The  Senior  Class.  —  Secoxd  Term. 

BIBLICAL  THE0L03Y.  —  The  various  types  of  Theology  in  the  writ- 
ings of  the  New  Testament,  and  their  comprehension  in  a  higher 
unity,  twice  a  week  with  Prof.  Briggs. 

HISTORY.  — The  General  History  of  the  Christian  Church  continued. 
The  Medicecal  and  Modern  Church,  four  times  a  week  with  Prof. 
Hitchcock. 

SYMBOLICS.  —  Comparative  Theology:  exposition  of  the  doctrinal  dif- 
fei-ences  of  the  various  Churches,  twice  a  week  with  Prof.  Schaff. 

DOGMATICS.  —  Solerioloqjj :  Regeneration,  Conversion,  Justification, 
Sanctification;  Esckatoloc/?/ :  Intermediate  State,  Second  Advent, 
Resurrection,  Final  Judgment,  Heaven,  Hell.  Lectures  twice  a  week 
by  Prof.  Shedd. 

HOMILETICS.  — The  composition  and  delivery  of  Sermons  with  prac- 
tical Exercises,  once  a  week  with  Prof.  Hastings.  Private  criticism 
and  preaching  before  the  Class. 

PASTORAL  THEOLOGY. —  Lectures  once  a  week;  and  Exposition  of 
the  Pastoral  Epistles,  once  a  week,  with  Prof.  Hastings. 

CHURCH  POLITY.  —  The  New  Testament  idea  and  constitution  of  the 
Church  of  Christ:  How  far  the  ecclesiastical  polities  of  later  ages 
embody  the  same.  Denominational  organizations :  How  far  justifi- 
able. Presbyterianisra.  The  Sacraments.  Lectures  once  a  week 
by  Prof.  Prentiss. 

The  Cognate  Oriental  Languages. 

All  the  studies  in  this  department  are  optional. 

The  class  in  Biblical  Aramaic  will  study  the  Grammar  of  that  lan- 
guage with  selections  from  the  Aramaic  of  the  Bible,  in  the  second  term, 
with  Prof.  Brown. 

Those  who  have  already  studied  Hebrew  and  Biblical  Aramaic  may 
unite  with  the  S/riac  and  Arabic  classes,  which  are  organized  in  alter- 
nate years  (1885-86,  Syriac;  1886-87,  Arabic),  so  that  in  regular  order 
the  three  classes  may  pursue  Biblical  Aramaic,  Syrias,  and  Arabic.  The 
Syriac  class  will  study  Syriac  Grammar,  and  read  selections  from  the 
Peshitto  version  in  the  first  term,  and  read  selections  from  Bar-Hehraeus 
and  Ephraem  Syriis  in  the  second  term  with  Prof.  Briggs.  The  Arabic 
class  will  study  the  Arabic  Grammar,  and  read  selections  from  the  version 
of  Saadia  in  the  first  term,  and  read  selections  from  the  Koran,  in  con- 
nection with  a  more  particular  study  of  Arabic  Syntax,  in  the  second 
term  with  Prof.  Briggs. 

There  will  be  two  Assyrian  classes,  composed  of  those  who  have  already 
studied  Hebrew  and  two  of  the  Cognates.  The  one  will  study  the  Assy- 
rian Characters  and  Grammar,  and  read  selections  from  the  historical 
Inscriptions,  during  the  second  term,  with  Prof.  Brown.     The  second 


THE   COURSE   OF  STUDY. 


93 


class  will  consist  of  those  who  have  already  passed  through  the  first  class 
They  will  read  selections  from  the  historical  and  mytliological  Inscrip- 
tions  and  the  Syllabaries.  Lectures  will  also  be  given  on  Babylonian 
and  Assyrian  Literature,  and  on  the  relation  of  the  Assyrian  language  to 
the  Akkadian  and  Sumerian.  This  course  will  be  extended  throu-rh  both 
terms  with  Prof.  Bkown.  ° 


Schedule  of  Lectures  for  1886-87.  —  Second  Term. 


Days. 


Monday, 


Tuesday, 


Wednesday, 


Thursday, 


Friday, 


Hours. 

11 
3 
4 


Juniors.  Middlers. 

Prof.  Hitchcock.       Prof.  Prentiss. 
"     Brown.  «      Shedd. 

Conference  Meeting. 


Hitchcock. 
Brown. 

SCHAFF. 

Prentiss. 

Briggs. 

Brown. 

SCHAFF. 

Brown. 
Briggs. 

Prentiss. 

Brown. 

Brown. 


Prof.  Prentiss 

"  Shedd. 

"  Briggs. 

"  Schaff. 

"  Shedd. 

"  Briggs. 

"  Briggs. 

"  Shedd. 

"  Hastings. 

"  Schaff. 

"  Hastings. 

"  Briggs. 


Seniors. 
Prof.  Schaff. 

"  Hastings. 

"  Schaff. 

"  Briggs. 

"  Shedd. 

"  Hitchcock, 

"  Hitchcock. 

"  Hastings. 

"  Hitchcock. 

"  Hastings. 

"  Prentiss. 

"  Hitchcock. 

"  Briggs. 

"  Shedd. 


Class  in  Biblical  Aramaic,  Mondays,  2  to  3  p.  m.,  with  Prof.  Brown. 

Class  in  Arabic,  Mondays,  2  to  3  p.  m.,  with  Prof.  Briggs. 

Class  in  Assyrian  I.,  Tuesdays,  2  to  3  p.  m.,  with  Prof.  Brown. 

Class  in  Assyrian  II.,  Thursdays,  2  to  3  p.  m.,  with  Prof.  Brown. 

Class  for  Juniors  advanced  in  Hebrew,  Mondays,  3  to  4  p.  m.,  Tuesdays 
2  to  3  p.  M.,  with  Prof.  Briggs.  '  ' 

Vocal  Culture,  daily,  in  sections:  Juniors,  9  to  10  a.m.,  Middlers,  10 
to  11  A.  M.,  with  Prof.  Roberts. 

Sacred  Music,  all  classes,  Thursdays,  7:30  p.  m.. 

Schedule  of  Lectures  for  1887-88.  —  First  Term. 


Days.            Hours.  Juniors.  Middlers. 

(  11  Prof.  Prentiss.  Prof.  Hitchcock. 

Monday,          j    3  "  Brown.  "      Shedd. 
^    4                             Conference  Meeting. 

r  11  "  Prentiss.  Prof.  Hitchcock. 

Tuesday,          ?    3  "  Brown.  "      Shedd. 

'    4  "  Brown.  "      Briggs. 


Seniors. 
Prof.  Schaff. 
"     Hastings. 

"  Schaff. 
"  Briggs. 
"     Shedd. 


94 


THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 


Days. 

Hours. 

Juniors. 

Middlers. 

Seniors. 

(^1 

Prof 

'.  SCHAFF. 

Prof 

'.  Prentiss. 

Prof.  Hitchcock. 

Wednesday, 

^ 

" 

Bkown. 

" 

Shkdd. 

"      Hitchcock 

I    4 

" 

Briggs. 

" 

Shaff. 

"     Hastings. 

(^^ 

" 

ScHAFF. 

" 

Briggs. 

"     Hitchcock. 

Thursday, 

^ 

" 

Brown. 

" 

Shedd. 

"     Briggs. 

I    4 

" 

Brown. 

" 

Prentiss. 

"      Hastings. 

0'^ 

" 

Briggs. 

" 

SCHAFF. 

"      Hitchcock. 

Friday, 

3 

" 

Brown. 

" 

Hastings, 

"      Briggs. 

I    4 

« 

Brown. 

" 

Briggs. 

"      Shedd. 

Class  in  Syriac,  Mondays,  2  to  3  p.  m.,  with  Prof.  Briggs. 

Class  in  Assyrian  II.,  Fridays,  2  to  3  p.  m.,  with  Prof.  Browx. 

Class  for  Juniors  advanced  in  Hebrew,  Thursdays,  2  to  3  p.m.,  with 
Prof.  Brown;  and  Mondays  and  Wednesdays,  3  to  4  p.  m.,  with  Prof. 
Briggs. 

Vocal  Culture,  daily,  in  sections:  Seniors,  9  to  10  A.  M.,  and  Middlers, 
10  to  11  A.  M.,  with  Prof.  Roberts. 

Sacred  Music,  all  classes,  Thursdays,  7:  30  p.  m. 

EXAMINATIOXS. 

The  Academic  year  consists  of  two  terms  :  the  first  beginning  with  the 
third  Wednesday  of  September  and  ending  with  the  Christmas  holidays: 
the  second  beginning  immediately  after  those  holidays,  and  ending  with 
the  Tuesday  next  preceding  the  second  Thursday  of  May.  Examinations 
will  be  held  during  the  last  week  of  each  term  upon  the  studies  then 
completed.  These  examinations  are  conducted  by  the  Faculty  with  the 
co-operation  of  Committees  of  the  Directors  and  of  the  Alumni  of  the 
Seminary.  The  Presbytery  of  New  York  is  represented  by  a  Committee 
of  examination  at  the  Intermediate  examination,  the  Synod  of  New  York 
at  the  Final  examination. 


NOTE  B. 


THE   PROFESSORSHIPS. 


Six  Professorships  have  been  endowed,  as  follows  :  — 

I.  The  Roosevelt  Professorship  of  Systematic  Theology  was 
endowed  in  1851,  under  the  will  of  Mr.  James  Roosevelt,  with  125,000, 
which  in  1874  had  become  $34,000,  to  which  Mr.  James  Brown  in  that 
year  added  S46,000,  making  the  whole  endowment  $80,000. 

II.  The  Davenport  Professorship  (originally  of  Sacred  Rhetoric, 
but  since  1873)  of  Hebrew  and  the  Cognate  Languages  was  en- 


PROFESSORSniPS,   LECTURESHIPS,   ETC.  95 

dowed  in  1853  by  Mr.  James  Roorman  (who  died  in  1SG6)  with  S25,000 
to  which  Mr.  Brown  added  $55,0U0,  making  the  whole  endowment 
$80,000. 

III.  The  Washburx  Professorship  of  Church  History  was  en- 
dowed in  1855  by  Mrs.  Jacob  Bell  (who  died  in  1878)  with  .1f25  000  to 
which  Mr.  Brown  added  $55,000,  making  the  whole  endowment  $80,000. 

IV.  The  Baldwin  Professorship  op  Sacred  Literature  was 
endowed  in  1865  by  Mr.  John  Center  Baldwin  (who  died  in  1870)  with 
$25,000,  which  was  afterwards  increased  to  $65,000,  to  which  Mr.  Brown 
added  $15,000,  making  the  whole  endowment  $80,000. 

V.  The  Brown  Professorship  (originally  of  Hebrew  and  the  Cognate 
Languages,  but  since  1873)  of  Sacred  Rhetoric  was  endowed  in  1805 
by  Mr.  John  A.  Brown,  of  Philadelphia  (who  died  in  1872),  and  his 
brother,  Mr.  James  Brown,  of  New  York,  with  $25,000,  to  which  in  1874 
Mr.  James  Brown  added  $55,000,  making  the  whole  endowment  $80,000. 

VI.  The  Skinner  and  McAlpin  Professorship  of  Pastoral 
Theology,  Church  Polity,  and  Mission  AVork,  was  endowed  in 
1872,  by  Mr.  David  Hunter  McAlpin,  and  a  few  other  friends  of  Dr. 
Skinner  and  Dr.  Prentiss,  with  $50,000,  to  which  Mr.  Brown  added 
$30,000,  making  the  whole  endowment  $80,000. 


THE   LECTURESHIPS. 

The  Ely  Lectureship,  on  "The  Evidences  of  Christianity,"  was 
founded,  May  8,  1865,  by  Mr.  Z.  Stiles  Ely,  of  this  citv,  by  the 
gift  of  Ten  Thousand  Dollars,  in  memory  of  his  brother,  \he  Rev 
Elias  P.  Ely. 

The  Morse  Lectureship,  on  "  The  Relations  of  the  Bible  to  the  Sci- 
ences," was  founded,  May  20,  1865,  by  the  late  Prof.  Samuel  F.  B. 
Morse,  LL.  D.,  by  the  gift  of  Ten  Thousand  Dollars,  in  memory  of 
his  father,  the  Rev.  Jedediah  Morse,  D.  D. 

The  Parker  Lectureship,  designed  to  furnish  Theological  Students 
with  such  hygienic  instructions  as  may  be  specially  useful  to  them 
personally  and  as  pastors,  was  endowed  in  1873  by  Willard  Parker, 
M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  with  $2000. 

THE   FELLOWSHIPS. 

Two  Fellowships,  of  Ten  Thousand  Dollars  each,  have  been  en- 
dowed for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  special  merit  in  the  pursuit  of 
higher  Theological  culture.  The  one  is  known  as  "  The  Philadelphia 
Fellowship,"  endowed  by  "  A  Friend  of  the  Seminary";  the  other  as 
"  The  Francis  P.  Schoals  Fellowship,"  endowed  by  the  friend  whose 
name  it  bears.     The  income  of  these  Fellowships  is  appropriated  to  the 


96  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

support  of  incumbents,  for  two  years  each,  in  prosecuting  special  studies, 
either  in  this  country  or  in  Europe,  under  the  direction  of  the  Faculty. 

The  income  of  the  two  Fellowships  ($600  each)  is  appropriated  subject 
to  the  following  terms  and  conditions :  — 

1.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  as  Fellow  who  has  not  been  a  member  of 
this  Seminary,  and  of  the  same  class,  for  the  full  course  of  three  years. 

2.  Those  only  shall  be  appointed  Fellows,  annually  or  otherwise,  accord- 
ing to  the  discretion  of  the  Faculty,  who  have  made  such  proficiency  in 
the  original  languages  of  the  Bible  and  in  general  Theological  scholarship 
as  to  warrant  their  appointment. 

3.  Those  accepting  appointments  as  Fellows  must  agree  to  prosecute 
their  studies,  in  this  or  other  countries,  for  two  years  each,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Faculty  and  to  their  satisfaction,  reporting  to  them 
semiannually. 

Fellows  of  Uniox  Theological  Seminary. 

1877.  Francis  Brown. 

1878.  Samuel  Franklin  Emerson. 

1879.  Edward  Lewis  Curtis. 

1880.  Charles  Ripley  Gillett, 

1881.  Frank  Edward  Woodruff. 

1882.  Harry  Norman  Gardiner. 

1883.  George  Holley  Gilbert. 

1884.  Edward  Caldwell  Moore. 
188.5.  Oliver  Joseph  Thatcher, 
188().  Robert  Ferguson. 

1887.  Howard  S.  Bliss. 

1888.  Hervey  D.   Griswold. 

1889.  Owen  H.  Gates. 


THE   INSTRUCTORSHIP. 

"  The  Harkness  Instructorship  in  Vocal  Culture  and  in 
Elocution"  was  endowed  by  a  gift  of  $40,000  by  "  A  Friend  in  the  West 
Presbyterian  Church  "  in  this  city,  to  which  is  added  the  sum  of -^10,000, 
formerly  contributed  for  a  similar  purpose,  making  the  whole  endowment 
S50,000. 


THE   HITCHCOCK  PRIZE  IN  CHURCH   HISTORY. 

In  accordance  with  a  recommendation  in  the  will  of  the  late  President, 
the  Rev.  Roswell  Dwight  Hitchcock,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  his  family  has 
endowed  "  The  Hitchcock  Prize  in  Church  History,"  by  the  gift 
of    Twenty-five  Hundred  Dollars.     The  income  of   this  Endowment  is 


SERMON  IN  MERCER   STREET   CHURCH.  97 

to  be  paid  at  or  before  Christmas  in  each  year  to  such  member  of  the 
Senior  Class  as,  in  the  entire  course  in  this  Seminary,  shall  have  attained 
the  highest  excellence  in  Church  History  and  kindred  subjects.  Each 
competitor  for  this  prize  must  submit  to  the  Faculty  an  essay  upon  one 
of  such  topics  as  may  be  assigned. 


NOTE  C. 

EXTRACTS   FROM   THE   SERMOX  ENTITLED   "THE   UNIOX 
THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY." 

Having  considered  the  twofold  office  of  a  school  of  divinity,  — 
that  of  cultivating  sacred  science  and  that  of  training  young  men 
for  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  by  instructing  them  in  the  principles 
and  facts  of  this  science,  —  I  proceeded  to  speak  thus  of  the  special 
claims  of  the  Union  Seminary  :  — 

The  sum  and  substance  of  what  I  have  to  say  can  be  uttered  in  a  few 
words;  and  you  will  excuse  me,  I  am  sure,  if  they  are  spoken  plainly,  and 
with  the  emphasis  of  a  strong  conviction,  —  a  conviction  formed  long 
before  I  became  your  pastor.  This  institution  of  sacred  learning  ought 
to  be  endowed  generously,  permanently,  and  without  delay.  Its  char- 
acter, position,  wants,  and  capabilities  all  entitle  it  to  this  service  from 
the  Christian  community.  The  character  of  Union  Seminary  is  eminently 
catholic,  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word;  it  is  at  once  liberal  and  conserva- 
tive. There  is  nothing  that  I  am  aware  of  in  its  history,  nothing  in  its 
associations,  nothing  in  its  general  policy,  nothing  in  its  temper,  which 
should  make  this  institution  cleave  inordinately  to  the  past  or  to  the 
future,  —  which  should  render  it  unstable  in  the  ways  of  old  truth,  or  un- 
willing to  greet  new  truths  with  a  friendly  welcome ;  nothing  which  com- 
mits it  to  any  party,  or  prevents  its  cordial  relations  with  all  parties  who 
love  the  Gospel  and  Christian  union.  It  stands  in  special  connection 
with  our  own  branch  of  the  great  Presbyterian  family;  but  it  numbers 
on  its  Board  of  Directors,  and  among  its  warmest  friends,  influential 
members  of  the  other  branch;  while  it  seeks  its  professors  and  attracts  its 
students  as  readily  from  the  old  Puritan  body  of  New  England,  as  if  its 
predilections  were  all  Congregational.  If  you  will  have  an  institution 
occupying  as  catholic  a  ground  as  the  distracted  state  of  the  Church  in 
our  day  seems  to  permit,  I  do  not  know  how  you  can  well  come  nearer  to 
such  a  plan  than  have  the  founders  of  the  Union  Seminary.  Its  main 
advantages  are  as  accessible  and  useful  to  a  Baptist,  a  jNIethodist,  an 
Episcopalian,  or  a  Congregationalist,  as  to  a  Presbyterian;  and  students 

7 


©8  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

of  all  these  and  of  other  denominations  have  availed  themselves  of  them. 
Let  it  be  understood,  that  in  what  I  have  said,  or  may  say,  I  cast  no 
reflection  upon  any  other  seminary.  All  honor  to  Princeton,  and  Lane, 
and  Auburn,  and  Andover,  and  Bangor,  and  New  Haven,  and  others,  of 
whatever  name,  that  are  doing  the  Master's  work ! 

Such  is  the  character  of  the  institution;  and  its  position  appears  to  me 
no  less  desirable.  On  this  point  there  will  doubtless  be  diversities  of 
opinion.  Very  grave  objections  may  easily  be  raised  against  a  great  city 
as  the  seat  of  a  college  where  young  men  are  trained  in  the  preparatory 
discipline  of  a  professional  life.  The  distractions  and  temptations  which 
surround  them  bear,  certainly,  an  unfavorable  aspect  toward  studious 
and  moral  habits.  But  the  case  of  those  who  have  passed  through  their 
collegiate  course,  and  are  in  direct  training  for  the  ministry,  is  quite 
different.  Tliey  may  fairly  be  presumed  to  have  well  established  prin- 
ciples of  intellectual  and  religious  conduct,  —  to  be,  in  good  measure, 
above  both  the  temptations  and  the  distractions  of  city  life.  It  can 
hardly  be  denied,  on  the  other  hand,  that  precisely  for  them  there  are 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  several  years'  residence  in  a  metropolis 
like  this,  advantages  of  a  specific  and  general  nature,  which  cannot  easily 
be  found  elsewhere.  All  admit  that  the  schools  and  hospitals  of  Paris, 
Vienna,  and  Berlin  afford  to  the  medical  student  facilities  for  combined 
study  and  observation  which  are  unrivalled.  He  can  learn  and  see  more 
there  in  one  year,  than  he  could  in  many  years  of  ordinary  advantages. 
So,  New  York  affords,  or  might  afford,  to  the  candidate  for  the  min- 
istry unequalled  opportunities  of  combining  practical  with  theoretical 
study.  .  .  .  The  pulpit,  the  church,  the  courts  of  justice,  the  popular 
assembly,  the  platform,  the  institutions  of  public  charity  and  philan- 
thropy, the  fashionable  streets  and  avenues,  the  crowded  thoroughfares 
and  marts  of  trade,  the  infected  lanes  and  alleys,  the  wharves  and  ferries, 
the  emigrant  ship,  —  these  are  only  a  part  of  those  ever-open  books 
which  he  who  runs  may  read,  and  which,  "  to  him  that  understandeth," 
are  fraught  with  lessons  of  the  gravest  meaning. 

Without  stopping,  then,  to  discuss  the  point,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  ex- 
press it  as  my  own  conviction,  that  the  city  is  to  be  preferred  to  the 
country  as  a  place  for  training  ministers.  The  larger  portion  of  them 
come  from  the  country,  and  return  thither  again.  Three  years  of  city 
life,  without  in  the  least  damaging  their  piety,  will  tend  to  teach  them 
lessons,  and  supply  them  with  observations,  which  they  will  find  most 
useful  during  their  whole  subsequent  career.  These  remarks,  as  I  have 
intimated,  seem  to  me  to  apply  with  especial  force  to  New  York.  It  is 
the  great  centre  of  American  life  and  enterprise;  and  a  young  man  of 
piety,  intelligence,  and  susceptibility  can  hardly  pass  three  years  in  the 
midst  of  it  without  some  enlargement  of  view  concerning  his  solemn 
work  and  duties  as  a  Christian  teacher  and  free  citizen  of  this  vast 
Republic. 


SERMOX  IN  MERCER   STREET  CHURCH.  99 

As  the  seat,  too,  of  a  liberal  and  profound  theological  culture,  New 
York  ought  to  stand  foremost  in  the  land.  She  ought  for  her  own  sake. 
There  is,  perhaps,  no  other  power,  after  the  Word  preached,  which  would 
do  more  to  preserve  her  Christian  influence,  wealth,  and  enterprise  from 
falling  a  prey  to  the  show,  self-aggrandizement,  and  other  vices  incident 
to  the  predominance  of  a  commercial  spirit.  She  ought,  for  the  sake  of 
our  country  and  the  world.  Let  a  wise,  tolerant  Christian  theology 
flourish  here,  and  it  would  diffuse  a  beneficent  radiance  over  the  land, 
and  even  among  pagan  nations.  The  position,  then,  of  the  Union  Semi- 
nary is  unsurpassed,  both  for  the  training  of  ministers  and  the  cultivation 
of  sacred  learning.  For  this  reason  its  founders  planted  it  in  the  city  of 
New  York. 

Let  me  now  speak  of  its  wants.  These  are  many,  important,  most 
reasonable,  and,  in  my  judgment,  challenge  the  immediate  attention  of 
its  friends.  It  wants,  first  of  all,  to  be  assured  of  its  own  existence;  it 
wants  an  endowment.  \i  is  not  seemly,  it  is  a  reproach  and  dishonor  to 
the  Christian  community,  that  such  an  institution,  where  the  pious  young 
men  of  the  Church  are  training  to  become  her  pastors,  her  divines,  and 
her  missionaries  to  the  heathen,  should  be  begging  its  bread,  —  should  sub- 
sist on  her  precarious  charities.  No  denomination  that  has  any  genuine 
self-respect  will  allow  such  an  anonjaly  long  to  exist,  if  there  be  the 
means  of  preventing  it.  Permanent  institutions  like  this  ought  to  be 
exempt  from  conmiercial  revulsions  and  the  fluctuations  of  trade.  If  we 
cannot  give  them  an  assured  and  independent  existence  on  any  other 
terms,  we  had  better  do  it  even  by  mortgaging  our  church  edifices.  The 
tree  is  far  more  important  than  its  fruit;  the  fountain  than  its  passing 
streams.  I  repeat,  the  Union  Seminary  wants  to  be  assured  of  its  exist- 
ence, but  it  wants  a  gi-eat  deal  more:  it  wants  the  means  of  making  that 
existence  honorable,  vigorous,  efficient;  commensurate  with  the  work  it 
is  called  to  do;  worthy  of,  not  a  practical  satire  upon,  the  Christian  lib- 
erality of  this  great  and  opulent  city.  It  wants  the  means  of  so  enlarging 
its  accommodations  that  it  can  at  once  proffer  a  hearty  invitation  to  two 
hundred  young  men;  and.  when  they  come,  can  welcome  them  to  rooms 
fitted  for  the  abode,  not  of  poor  children,  not  of  youthful  operatives,  but 
of  Christian  gentlemen  who  are  soon  to  be  your  religious  teachers  and 
guides.  It  wants  thousands  of  volumes  added  to  its  library,  that  not 
merely  its  Professors  and  students,  but  the  pastors  and  Christian  scholars 
of  this  city  and  vicinity,  and  of  the  lantl,  may  be  able  to  investigate  all 
branches  of  theological  knowledge  without  the  trouble  and  expense  of  a 
voyage  to  Europe.  The  man  who  had  the  means,  and  whose  heart  God 
should  enlarge  and  dispose  to  meet  this  want,  —  to  expend  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars  in  creating,  around  the  present  nucleus,  a  theological 
library  worthy  of  New  York,  of  our  Calvinistic  churches,  and  of  the  times 
we  live  in,  —  that  man  would  build  for  himself  a  monument  as  enduring 


100  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY. 

as  the  eternal  hills!  If  it  were  permitted  to  indulge  in  idle  wishes,  I 
would  wish  with  all  my  heart  I  were  such  a  man!  How  fragrant  would 
be  his  memory,  centuries  hence,  when  oblivion  shall  have  utterly  consumed 
the  noisy  heroes  and  great  men  of  the  passing  day! 

Tliis  Seminary  wants  to  make  immediate  and  ample  provision  for  the 
support  of  its  Professors.  It  has  searched  for  them  through  the  land;  has 
called  them  from  positions  of  the  highest  influence,  despoiling  other  insti- 
tutions and  great  congregations  of  their  jewels  to  enrich  itself;  and  now 
is  only  able  to  afford  them  a  compensation  less  than  they  might  command 
in  the  humble  pastorate  of  many  a  New  England  village!  Who  fancies 
such  men  will  consent,  or  will  be  suffered,  to  remain  where  they  are,  in 
this  centre  of  Christian  wealth,  performing  the  weightiest  functions  in 
the  Church  of  God,  teaching  her  teachers,  and  guarding  her  faith,  unless 
they  are  adequately  supported,  —  unless  their  pecuniary  necessities  are 
promptly  and  liberally  met?  It  now  only  needs  to  be  whispered  abroad 
that  they  are  discontented,  and  a  score  of  churches,  colleges,  and  other 
seminaries  would  be  eager  to  obtain  them. 

I  have  thus  stated  some  of  the  more  pressing  claims  of  this  institution, 
or  rather,  I  honestly  think,  claims  of  religion,  of  an  educated  ministry, 
of  home  and  foreign  missions,  —  in  a  word,  of  the  cause  of  truth  and 
righteousness,  as  expressed  through  this  institution. 

I  have  the  clearest  conviction  that  the  Union  Seminary  is  capable  of 
doing  a  great  work  for  Christ  and  the  Church.  It  has  already  done 
much;  not  a  few  of  the  most  useful  ministers  in  the  land,  not  a  few  of 
our  best  missionaries  among  the  heathen,  are  its  alumni.  Already,  too, 
has  it  made  invaluable  contributions  to  the  higher  theological  literature 
of  the  age.  But  I  trust  it  has  a  still  nobler  career  in  the  future.  I  look 
forward  to  the  time  when  young  men  of  piety  and  generous  endowments 
shall  flock  to  it,  in  thousands,  from  all  quarters  of  the  Republic,  —  from 
California  and  Oregon,  and  the  islands  of  the  sea  even;  when  its  library 
shall  be  the  resort  of  Cln-istian  scholars  from  neighboring  towns  and 
cities;  when  its  professorships  shall  be  multiplied  so  as  to  embrace  one 
for  each  great  branch  of  sacred  loi'e;  when  it  shall  be  the  pride  and 
glory  of  our  churches,  and  its  treasury  be  continually  enriched  by  the 
princely  donations  of  the  living  and  the  dying;  when,  in  a  word,  it  shall 
be  such  a  nursery  of  men  of  God,  and  such  a  citadel  of  holy  faith,  as  the 
voice  of  Providence  commands  us  to  build  up  in  this  emporium  of  the 
New  World. 


THE    TREASURES   OF   THE   LIBRARY.  101 

NOTE    D. 

THE  TREASURES  OF  THE  LIBRARY. 

The  fact  is,  that  this  country  is  not  so  unprovided  with  the  means  for 
the  study  of  any  subject  as  the  baffled  scholar  may  sometimes  suppose. 
The  difficulty  is  in  discovering  just  where  the  materials  are.  In  Europe, 
what  is  not  contained  in  the  national  libraries  is  to  be  found  in  the  great 
private  collections,  most  of  them  of  considerable  age,  the  contents  of  which 
are  fairly  well  known.  Here,  however,  the  number  of  private  collectors 
of  books  is  so  large,  and  their  libraries  are  so  constantly  changing  hands, 
that  any  dependence  upon  private  resources  must  be  abandoned.  Some 
years  ago  the  Athenceum  contained  an  interesting  series  of  letters  devoted 
to  the  private  collections  of  ancient  sculpture  in  England,  and  much  new 
and  valuable  material  was  brought  to  light.  The  writer  has  often  thought 
what  a  wealth  of  rare  and  useful  books  such  a  series  of  articles  on  the 
private  libraries  in  America  would  reveal.  The  sale  catalogues  from 
time  to  time  give  glimpses  of  this  wealth,  and  curiously  enough  do  they 
confirm  the  "  fata  habent  libelli."  The  writer  saw  at  a  recent  sale  the 
manuscript  of  a  work  he  had  once  visited  Europe  to  consult  in  a  printed 
edition.  This  unconscious  proximity  to  valuable  stores  of  material  is 
beautifully  likened  by  Mr.  Justin  Winsor,  in  an  address  to  be  mentioned 
again  in  a  moment,  to  the  rushing  by  unobserved  of  Gabriel's  boat  in 
"Evangeline,"  while  the  maiden  lay  screened  by  the  palmettos.  The 
writer  may  be  pardoned  for  referring  to  his  own  experience  in  this  matter, 
for  it  is  probably  that  of  many  other  scholars,  and  may  serve  to  encour- 
age some  disheartened  student.  Some  years  ago  he  began  some  re- 
searches in  a  certain  field  of  mediaeval  literature,  contained  almost  wholly 
in  manuscripts  or  early  printed  books.  In  pursuit  of  these  studies  he 
had  visited  various  libraries  of  England  and  the  Continent,  not  supposing 
for  a  moment  that  he  could  find  in  this  country  any  of  the  needed  works. 
One  day  a  friend  sent  him  a  pamphlet  containing  an  account  of  the  pub- 
lic exercises  on  the  completion  of  the  library  building  of  the  University 
of-  Michigan.  In  it  was  the  charming  address  by  Mr.  Justin  Winsor, 
referred  to  above.  Speaking  of  the  inadequacy  of  public  collections  of 
all  sorts  to  preserve  a  world's  literature,  he  said:  "In  the  fifty  or  sixty 
years  which  followed  the  first  work  of  the  press,  and  within  the  fifteenth 
century,  it  is  usually  reckoned  there  were  at  least  16,000  volumes  printed 
at  all  the  presses  of  the  forty-two  cities  which  are  known  to  have  had 
printing-offices.  It  is  not  an  unfair  estimate  to  place  the  average  edition 
of  those  days  at  500  copies,  and  this  would  give  a  round  8,000,000  of  in- 
cunabula, —  cradle  books,  —  of  which  the  number  which  have  come  down 


102  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

to  us  is  comparatively  small.  Of  this  8,000,000  I  doubt  if  there  are  more 
than  a  very  few  thousand  on  this  continent.  I  do  not  regard  the  possible 
excess  in  some  of  the  libraries  of  Spanish  America,  when  I  say  that  the 
largest  number  which  I  know  in  this  part  of  the  world  is  the  400  or  500 
which  belong  to  the  Union  Theological  Seminai-y  of  New  York." 

This  was  the  first  intimation  the  writer  had  had  of  the  existence  of  a 
great  collection  of  incunabula  in  this  country,  and  it  was  indeed  a  strik- 
ing example  of  the  hidden  Evangeline,  for  not  only  had  he  passed  times 
without  number  the  door  of  the  well-known  building  in  University  Place, 
but  he  had  not  infrequently  shared  the  room  of  a  college  friend  who  was 
a  student  within  its  walls,  and  soundly  slept  just  over  those  precious  in- 
cunabula. It  is  needless  to  say  that  he  seized  the  first  opportunity  to 
examine  the  library,  and  it  is  this  unequalled  collection  of  rare  books 
which  he  purposes  to  describe  at  some  length,  in  the  hope  that  it  may 
prove  as  useful  to  other  scholars  as  it  has  been  to  himself.  ...  A  Semi- 
nary building,  begun  in  March,  1837,  was  completed  in  1838,  just  in  time 
to  receive  the  most  valuable  library  which  has  ever  been  brought  to  this 
country. 

The  library  had,  before  it  reached  this  land,  an  interesting  history, 
which  must  be  known  in  order  to  appreciate  its  worth.  We  will  begin 
our  story  with  Charlemagne,  although  in  a  moment  we  shall  have  to 
go  still  farther  back.  This  monarch  after  his  Saxon  conquests  founded 
the  Bishopric  of  Paderborn,  whose  first  Bishop,  Hathumar,  we  find  in- 
stalled as  early  as  795.  The  most  famous  of  the  early  bishops  was  the 
great  Meinwerk  (1009-36),  the  favorite  of  the  Emperor  Henry  II.  The 
bishopric  in  the  course  of  time  became  an  independent  ecclesiastical 
principality.  The  second  thread  of  our  story  takes  us  back  to  the  foun- 
dation of  the  Benedictine  Order  by  St.  Benedict  of  Xursia,  in  515.  The 
order  was  introduced  into  Germany  from  England  in  the  eighth  century, 
and  at  some  time  unknown  to  the  writer  there  was  established  the  Bene- 
dictine monastery  of  ]\larienmiinster,  a  few  miles  from  Warburg,  in  the 
diocese  of  Paderborn.  This  establishment  was  characterized,  like  all 
others  of  that  order,  by  its  love  for  literature,  and  its  library  no  doubt 
was  the  object  of  the  fond  care  of  the  monks.  At  the  time  of  the  Refor- 
mation a  collection  of  the  controversial  literature  of  the  period  was  made, 
about  600  volumes  in  number,  mostly  in  the  original  editions.  These 
books  were  kept  in  a  separate  room,  the  door  of  which  was  marked  with 
the  inscription,  "  Libri  Prohibiti."  The  key  to  this  door  was  once  kept 
by  a  monk,  whose  name  in  the  world  was  Johann  Ileinrich  Van  Ess,  but 
who  was  known  in  the  cloister  as  Brother  Leander.  He  was  born  a  few 
miles  away,  in  the  town  of  Warburg,  February  25,  1770,  and  received  his 
early  education  in  the  Dominican  Gymnasium  of  that  place.  In  1790  he 
entered  as  a  novice  Marienmiinster.  He  was  ordained  priest  in  1796,  and 
from  1799  on  he  managed  from  the  abbey  the  parish  of  Schwalenburg,  a 
league  away,  in  the  principality  of  Lippe. 


THE    TREASURES   OF   TUB   LIBRARY.  103 

Meanwhile,  events  were  occurring  in  Europe  wliich  were  to  change  en- 
tirely the  destiny  of  young  Van  Ess.  The  brilliant  success  of  the  French 
Republic  in  its  military  operations  was  crowned  by  the  treaties  of  Canipo 
Forniio  (1797)  and  Luueville  (1801),  by  virtue  of  which  France  took 
Belgium  and  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine.  The  German  princes  who  lost 
their  States  by  this  cession  of  territory  were  to  be  recompensed  by  pos- 
sessions within  the  Empire,  and  for  this  purpose  the  great  ecclesiastical 
principalities  were  secularized  and  divided  among  them.  Paderborn  fell 
to  the  share  of  Fj'ussia,  and  became  an  hereditary  principality.  This  was 
in  1803,  although  Prussia,  with  characteristic  promptness,  had  taken  pos- 
session the  year  before  (August  3,  1802).  The  sequestration  of  the 
monastic  propei-ty  followed  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  monks  of  JNIari- 
enmimster  endeavored  to  save  from  the  wreck  as  much  of  their  common 
property  as  possible,  and  divided  the  precious  library  among  themselves. 
To  Brother  Leander  fell  the  "  Libri  Prohibiti  "  and  others.  He  still  had 
his  parish  of  Schwalenburg  to  administer,  and  there  he  remained  until 
1812,  when,  by  the  influence  of  the  Superintendent  of  Instruction  of  the 
kingdom  of  Westphalia,  he  was  called  by  a  royal  decree  (July  30,  1812) 
to  the  position  of  extraordinary  professor  of  Catholic  theology  in  the 
University  of  Marburg,  and  curate  in  the  same  town,  which  bore  with  it 
the  office  of  director  of  the  famous  seminary  for  teachers. 

Van  Ess  was  fated  to  suffer  all  the  vicissitudes  of  his  native  land.  In 
1813  the  kingdom  of  Westphalia  came  to  a  sudden  end,  and  its  numerous 
constituent  parts  reverted  to  their  former  governments.  ]\Iarburg  was 
now  in  the  Electorate  of  Hesse,  and  in  181-1  Van  Ess  was  called  by  that 
government  to  the  chair  of  an  extraordinary  professor  and  teacher  of 
canon  law.  The  "Deutsche  Biographie  "  says  his  academic  activity  in 
]\Iarburg  was  naturally  not  important,  but  he  was  greatly  liked  there  as  a 
preacher.  In  1818  he  was  made  doctor  of  theology  and  of  the  canon  law. 
He  was  retired  at  his  own  request  in  1822,  and  lived  first  at  Darmstadt, 
then  at  Alzey  and  other  places,  dying  October  13,  1847,  at  Affolderbach 
in  the  Odenwald.  His  library  had  naturally  increased  with  his  university 
work,  and  with  the  great  interest  of  his  life,  the  circulation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures among  the  people.  He  translated  with  others  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  (the  printing  of  which  was  later  forbidden  by  the  Pope)  from 
the  original  tongues,  and  co-operated  first  with  the  Catholic  Bible  Society 
of  Regensburg,  and,  after  its  dissolution,  with  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society,  whose  agent  he  was  until  1830,  when  he  ceased  so  to  act 
in  consequence  of  a  resolution  of  that  Society  to  circulate  no  more  Bibles 
containing  the  Apocrypha.  Van  Ess  held  very  decided  views  regarding 
the  Latin  translation  of  the  Bible  known  as  the  Vulgate,  w^hich  he  held 
was  not  binding  upon  Catholics  who  could  make  and  road  translation? 
from  the  original  text.  Besides  his  translations  he  prepared  editions  of 
the  Septuagint  (1821),  the  Vulgate  (1822-21,  in  3  vols.),  and  of  the  Greek 
Testament  with  the  Vulgate  (1827)      For  his  labors  in  this  field  he  in- 


104  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

creased  bis  already  valuable  library  with  versions  of  the  Bible,  polyglots, 
lexicons,  concordances,  commentaries,  the  Latin  and  Greek  fathers,  the 
decrees  of  councils  and  popes,  church  history,  and  other  similar  literary 
treasures,  including  a  large  collection  of  incunabula,  —  in  all,  with  what 
he  had  saved  from  the  wreck  at  Marienmiinster,  about  6,000  separate 
works  in  13,000  volumes.  Ten  years  before  his  death  he  offered  his 
library  for  sale  for  the  sum  of  11,000  florins.  .  .  . 

The  student  who  enters  the  beautiful  room  in  the  new  building  of  the 
Seminary  (1200  Park  Avenue),  where  these  precious  books  have  found  a 
worthy  home,  cannot  fail  to  be  struck  with  awe  when  he  reflects  that  to 
bring  that  collection  there  required  the  co-operation  of  St.  Benedict  of 
Nursia,  Charlemagne,  and  Napoleon!  Nay,  the  curious  speculator  upon 
historic  problems  may  add  as  a  fourth  factor  the  American  Revolution 
(in  its  influence  on  France) ;  and  in  that  case  there  is  a  certain  appro- 
priateness in  the  library  of  Van  Ess  finding  a  final  resting-place  in  this 
country.  Too  much  praise  cannot  be  bestowed  upon  the  trustees  and 
Faculty,  who  in  that  time  of  depression,  and  while  the  institution  was 
still  an  experiment,  incurred  such  a  heavy  expense.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  at  that  time  it  was  no  every-day  occurrence  to  purchase  the 
library  of  a  deceased  German  scholar. 

It  is  a  difficult  task  to  give  an  idea  of  the  original  Van  Ess  collection. 
No  separate  catalogue  of  it  ever  was  made,  nor  has  it  been  kept  apart 
from  the  later  acquisitions,  except  so  far  as  the  early  printed  books  are 
concerned.  There  is  an  excellent  card  catalogue  (by  authors'  names)  of 
the  entire  library,  and  the  accomplished  librarian,  the  Rev.  C.  R.  Gillett 
(whose  many  favors  the  writer  would  gratefully  acknowledge),  has  made 
for  his  own  use  a  list  of  the  incunabula.  The  writer  of  this  article  has 
personally  examined  and  catalogued  some  hundred  and  twenty-two  of  the 
incunabula  belonging  to  the  departments  in  which  he  is  more  particularly 
interested  (mediaeval  fiction,  stories  contained  in  collections  of  sermons, 
and  the  like).  It  is  greatly  to  be  desired  that  some  munificent  friend  of 
the  institution  should  make  provision  for  the  printing  of  a  catalogue  which 
will  reveal  the  wealth  of  the  collection,  and  be  of  use  to  scholars  in  all 
parts  of  the  land. 

It  is  manifestly  impossible  in  this  limited  space  to  give  any  idea  of  the 
general  character  of  the  library  of  the  Seminary,  in  much  of  which  the 
writer  is  not  at  all  interested,  although  as  a  graduate  of  Princeton,  with 
vivid  recollection  of  his  Sunday  tasks,  he  ought  at  least  to  mention  the 
unrivalled  collection  of  works  relating  to  the  AVestminster  Assembly  and 
the  Shorter  Catechism.  To  return,  however,  to  the  point  from  which  we 
started,  —  mediaeval  ecclesiastical  literature  and  history,  —  the  library 
possesses  such  great  works  as  the  '  Acta  Sanctorum  '  (in  the  original 
edition,  Antwerp,  Brussels,  and  Tongerloo);  '  Bibliotheca  maxima  vete- 
rum  patrum,'  ed.  Despont;  Gallandius,  'Bibliotheca  grfeco-latina  vete- 
rum  patrum  ' ;  Martene  and  Durand,  '  Veterum  scriptorum  amplissima 


THE    TREASURES   OF   THE  LIBRARY.  105 

collectio,'  and  'Thesaurus  anecdotonim  novus';  D'Achery,  '  SpicilegiuiP,' 
etc.  The  department  of  literary  history  is  well  represented  by  works  like 
Oudin's  '  Conimentarius,'  Bellarmin-Labbe,  Ziegelbauer,  Ceillier,  Dupin, 
Fabricius,  IMiraeus,  Trithemius,  etc. 

^\'e  must  not  linger  here,  but  say  a  few  words  in  regard  to  the  early 
printed  books,  'i'he  part  consisting  of  Bibles  and  Liturgical  works,  bre- 
viaries, missals,  etc.,  the  writer  has  not  had  time  to  examine,  but  un- 
doubtedly many  rare  and  valuable  works  are  therein  contained.  Among 
the  rest  may  be  mentioned  no  less  than  four  of  the  great  medieval  collec- 
tions of  stories :  Bromyard,  Thomas  Cantipratanus,  Johannes  Junior 
('  Scala  Cell'),  and  'Speculum  Exemplorum'  (Cologne,  1485),  four  works 
which  it  is  safe  to  say  can  be  found  in  only  one  other  library  in  the 
country,  and  that  a  private  one.  Of  sermons  there  are  ;  Blony,  Bernardi- 
nus  de  Bustis,  Johannes  von  Paltz  (' Celifodina '),  Gritsch  (' Quadfa- 
gesimale,'  l-iSl,  1490,  and  s.  1.  et  a.),  Haselbach,  Herolt  (■  Sermones 
discipuli  super  epistolas  dominicales,'  s.  a.  et  1.),  Leonardus  de  Utino 
(Ulm,  1478),  Lochmair  ('Sermones,'  1516,  full  of  illustrative  stories), 
Meffreth  ('  Hortulus  reginae,'  1487),  Michaele  Carchano  ('  Quadragesi- 
male,'  Venice,  1487-92),  Michaelis  de  Hungaria,  George  Morgenstern 
('Sermones  Disertissimi,'  Leipsic,  1502),  Paulus  Florentinus  (' Quadra- 
gesimale,'  Milan,  1479),  Robert  Caraczoli  ('Sermones  Dormi  Secure'). 
Konrad  von  Brundelsheim,  better  known  as  Soccus  (some  say  because  he 
hid  out  of  modesty  his  sermons  in  his  shoes  or  hose,  where  they  were  not 
found  until  after  his  death).  Jacobus  de  Voragine  (the  author  of  the 
'Legenda  Aurea,' of  which  there  are  numerous  early  printed  editions), 
etc.  Among  treatises  much  used  in  sermon-writing  are .  Hollen's  '  Pre- 
ceptorium'  (1484,  1489),  Nyder's  '  Preceptorium '  (1481,  1496)  Peral- 
dus's  ♦  Summa  virtutum  et  vitiorum  '  (1487);  Rampigollis's  '  Aureum 
Repertorium '  (s.  1.  et  a.);  Raynerus  of  Pisa,  '  Pantheologia '  (several 
defective  copies);  Petrus  de  Natalibus,  '  Catalogus  Sanctorum  '  (Lyons, 
1519,  woodcuts),  etc. 

A  few  additional  interesting  works  may  be  mentioned  here  at  random : 
St,  Bridget's  '  Revelationes '  (Nurenburg,  1517);  Boethius,  '  De  consolat. 
phil.'  (Cologne,  1493);  Abbot  Joachim,  '  Vaticinia '  (Venice,  1589,  Lat. 
and  Ital.,  curious  cuts) ;  Petrarch,  '  De  remedys  (sic)  utriusque  fortunae' 
(defective),  '  De  Vita  Solitaria'  (Basel,  1496),  with  several  others  of  Pe- 
trarch's works;  'Speculum  Spiritualium  '  (Paris,  1510,  an  interesting 
work  containing  illustrative  stories) ;  Vincent  of  Beauvais  is  represented 
by  his  'Speculum  Doctrinale '  (s.  a.  et  1.),  'Speculum  Naturale '  (s.  a, 
et  1.),  and  '  Speculum   Morale'  (s.  a.  et  1.),  etc. 

There  are  a  few  early  editions  of  the  classics :  Catullus,  '  Carme  hexa- 
metrum  nuptiale  Edylion  '  (s.  a.  et  1.) ;  '  Ilistoriae  Augustae  Scriptores,' 
Venice,  Aldus,  1516  (a  rare  book);  Martial,  Leipsic,  1498  (also  rare); 
Seneca,  'Epistolae,'  etc.  (s.  a.  et  1.),  'Proverbia  secundum  ordinem  al- 
phabeti '  (8  leaves;  see  Panzer,  TX.  3:35,  1140  c).    To  tiiese  may  be  added  : 


106  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

Cato,  '  Moralia  instituta';  Josephus,  '  De  antiquitatibus  ac  de  bello  Ju- 
daico,'  Venice,  1510  (also  a  Gei'raau  trans.,  Strasbourg,  1553);  a  German 
translation  of  Frontinus,  Mainz,  Johann  Schoffer,  1533 ;  Perotti,  '  Gram- 
matica'  (see  Panzer,  I.  200,  313). 

The  library  also  has  a  number  of  curious  works  on  Oriental  history, 
such  as  M.  Crusius,  '  Turcograeciae  libri  octo,'  Basel,  1584;  Haython, 
'Liber  Historiarum  Partium  Orientis,'  Haganau,  1529  (originally  written 
in  French;  see  Potthast,  I.  360)  ;  Laonicus  Chalcocoudylas,  '  De  origiue  et 
rebus  gestis  Turcorum  libri  decern,'  Basel,  1556  (translated  from  Greek 
original,  extends  from  1298-1462,  and,  as  Potthast  says,  is  "instructive 
and  entertaining  ").  '  Tractatus  de  Moribus  condictionibus  et  nequicia 
Turcorum'  (s.  1.  et  a ,  incomplete  at  end;  see  Panzer,  IV.  203,  1239). 
Also  of  historical  interest  is  '  Romischer  Kayserlicher  Maiestat  Regi- 
ment; Camergericht :  Landtfridt  uund  Abschiedt  uff  dem  Reichstag  zu 
Wormbs,'  etc.  Mainz,  Johann  Schoffer,  1521,  18  leaves,  sm.  fol. ;  and  of 
Reformation  interest,  Savonarola's  exposition  of  the  Ixxx.  Psalm  in  an 
old  German  translation,  printed  at  Leipsic  in  1542. 

We  have  left  for  the  last  two  interesting  works;  one  is  the  account  of 
the  Revelation  falsely  attributed  to  Methodius  of  Tyre,  but  which  prob- 
ably belongs  to  another  ]\Iethodius,  Patriarch  of  Constantinople  in  1240. 
It  was  a  favorite  work  in  the  early  days  of  printing,  the  earliest  edition 
bemg  of  Augsburg  in  1475.  The  Seminary  library  has  not  that,  but  a 
later  one,  more  valuable  on  account  of  its  many  curious  woodcuts;  the 
title  is,  '  Methodius  primum  Olimpiade  et  postea  Tyri  civitatum  episco- 
pus.  .  .  .  De  revelatione  facta  ab  angelo  beato  Methodic  in  carcere  de- 
ten  to,'  Basel,  1504  (Panzer,  VI.  178,  29).  The  other  book,  assuredly  one 
of  the  '  Libri  Prohibit!,'  takes  us  back  to  the  troublous  times  of  the 
Anabaptists  in  Holland,  and  to  a  character  stranger  than  anything  in 
fiction,  the  player,  painter,  and  prophet,  David  Jorisz  (or,  as  the  name  is 
usually  written,  David-George).  This  impostor  published  in  1542  his 
famous  'Book of  Wonders,'  intended  to  support  his  claim  to  be  the  sec- 
ond Christ.  The  book  made  a  profound  sensation  throughout  Europe. 
The  copy  in  the  Seminary  library  is  not  the  first  edition,  but  a  later  one, 
corrected  by  the  author,  and  bears  the  title :  '  Wonder-boeck :  waer  in 
dat  van  der  Werldt  aen  vei-floten  gheoperbaert  is.  Opt  nieuw  ghecori- 
geert  unde  vermeerdert  by  den  Autheur  selve.     Int  jaer  1551.' 

The  writer  earnestly  hopes  that  the  above  necessarily  inadequate  ac- 
count of  the  Van  Ess  collection  will  revive  the  memory  of  a  forgotten 
scholar,  and  make  his  beloved  library  better  known  to  American  students. 
May  it  also  serve  to  dispel  the  vague  notion  that  early  printed  books  are 
rarely  found  in  this  country.  This  notion  seems  still  to  linger  even  in 
the  professional  mind,  for  while  this  article  was  in  preparation  the  writer's 
eye  fell  on  the  annual  report  of   the   State  Librarian  of  an  adjoining 

State,  wherein  he  read  :  "  The  library  is  particularly  indebted  to for 

Philip  Melancthon's  copy  of  Livy,  printed  at  Basel,  in    Switzerland,  in 


ALUMNI  IN  MISSIONARY  SERVICE.  107 

1535.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  printed  book  in  America  except 
the  celebrated  Gutenberg  Bible  of  1457,  purcliased  by  Mr.  Brayton  Ives 
of  New  York  for  !§15,U00."  JNIay  this  singular  State  Librarian  some 
day  find  his  way  as  a  visitor  into  the  Library  of  the  Uuion  Theological 
Seminary. 


NOTE   E. 

ALUMNI  OF  UNION  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  WHO  ARE 
OR  HAVE  AT  ANY  TIME  BEEN  ENGAGED  IN  THE 
FOREIGN    MISSIONARY    SERVICE. 

183S.     Samuel  Robbins  Brot^n China  and  Japan. 

1843.     Henry  Martyn  Scudder India. 

Elipualet  Whittlesey Sandwich  Islands. 

1845.  William  Ware  Howland Ceylon. 

1846.  EuROTAs  Parmelee  Hastings Ceylon. 

"        William  Lyman  Richards China. 

1847.  George  Bowen India. 

"        Joseph  Gallup  Cochran Persia. 

"         Seneca  Cummings China. 

"         Samuel  Goodrich  Dwight Sandwich  Islands. 

"        Joshua  Edwards  Ford Syria. 

"         Henry  Kinney Sandwich  Islands. 

"         Samuel  Dexter  Marsh South  Africa. 

"         Cyrus  Taggart  Mills China  and  Sandwich  Islands. 

"  Hohannes  der  Sahagyan      .......    Pastor  in  Turkey. 

"         TowNSEND  Elijah  Taylor Sandwich  Islands. 

"         William  Wood India. 

1848.  Andrew  Abraham South  Africa. 

"         Jacob  Best West  Africa. 

•'         Oliver  Crane Syria  and  Turkey. 

"         Edward  Mills  Dodd Turkey  and  Asia  Miuor. 

"        John  Welch  Dulles India. 

"         Justin  Wright  Parsons Turkey  and  Asia  IMinor. 

1849.  George  Whitefield  Coan Persia. 

"         George  Washington  Dunmore Syria  and  Turkey. 

1849.  Dwight  Whitney  Marsh Turkey. 

1850.  William  Woodbridge  Eddy Syria. 

"  Homer  Bartlett  Morgan   .     .     .  Asia  Minor,  Turkey,  and  Syria. 

"        Epaminondas  James  Pierce West  Africa. 


108  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

1850.  Samuel  Audley  Rhea Persia. 

Seth  Bradlet  Stone South  Africa. 

1851.  William  Pkatt  Bakker India. 

Eli  Cokwin Sandwich  Islands. 

Andrew  Tully  Pratt Syria. 

Joseph  Walworth  Sutphen Turl^ey. 

1852.  Jasper  Newton  Ball Syria  and  Turkey. 

Edward  Toppin  Doane Micronesia  and  Japan. 

IS  5  3.     Eli  AS  Levi  Boing Choctaw  Indians. 

Edwin  Goodell Smyrna. 

Charles  Finney  Martin Egypt. 

1854.  Albert  Graham  Beebee Turkey. 

Varnum  Daniel  Collins Brazil. 

Jerre  Lorenzo  Lyons Syria. 

Sanford  Richardson Armenia. 

Jacob  William  Marcussohn  . Turkey. 

Charles  Casey  Starbuck West  Indies. 

1855.  Henry  Harris  Jessup Syria. 

Tillman  Conkling  Trowbridge Turkey. 

Allen  Wright Choctaw  Indians. 

1856.  Jackson  Green  Coffing Syria. 

Charles  Harding India. 

Charles  McEwen  Hyde Sandwich  Islands. 

Michael  D.  Kalopothakes Greece. 

George  Hills  White Mesopotamia. 

1857.  Theodore  Luin  Byington Turkey. 

Edward  W.  Chester India. 

Chauxcy  Lucas  Loomis West  Africa. 

James  Quick Ceylon. 

1858.  Joseph  Kingsbury  Green Turkey. 

1859.  Thomas  Lyford  Ambrose Persia. 

Edwin  Cone  Bissell Sandwich  Islands. 

Walter  Halsey  Clark West  Africa. 

Henry  Nitchie  Cobb Persia. 

Thornton  Bigelow  Penfield India. 

Amherst  Lord  Thompson Persia. 

Charles  Pinney  Winship West  Africa. 

Simeon  Foster  Wocdin China. 

18G0.     Henry  Watkins  Ballantine India. 

Philip  Berry Syria. 

Henry  Martyn  Bridgman South  Africa. 

Lysander  Tower  Burbank Assyria. 

David  Stuart  Dodge Professor  in  Syria. 

1861.     Lyman  Dwight  Chapin     ...  China. 

"        Samuel  Jessup Syria. 


ALUMNI   IN  MISSIONARY  SERVICE.  109 

1861.  Moses  Payson  Parmelee Anucuia. 

"        George  Edward  Post Syria. 

1862.  Ja.ues  Mc Kinney  Alexander    ......    Sandwich  Islands. 

"        George  Whiteuill  Chamberlain Brazil. 

"        John  Thomas  Gulick North  China. 

1S63.     George  Lacon  Leyburn Greece. 

"        Theodore  Strong  Pond East  Turkey. 

1361.     Samuel  Russell  Baker Labrador. 

"        Walter  Harris  Giles Turicey. 

"        Chauncey  Goodrich China. 

1865.  Thomas  Gairdner  Thurston Sandwich  Iskmds. 

1866.  Edwin  Augustus  Adams Bolicniia. 

"        Samuel  Swain  Mitchell Syria. 

1S67.     Alpheus  Newell  Andrus East  Turkey. 

Lewis  Bond,  Jr Turkey. 

"        "William  Edwin  Locke West.  Turkey. 

"        Charles  Chapin  Tracy Turkey. 

1868.  Albert  Warren  Clark Austria. 

"        Thomas  Lafon  Gulick Spain. 

"        Frank  Thompson Sandwich  Islands. 

1869.  Robert  Hoskins India. 

"        Merrill  Nathaniel  Hutchinson Mexico. 

"        Edward  Riggs Turkey. 

1870.  Edward  Gibbs  Bickford Turkey. 

"        Peter  Zaccheus  Easton Persia. 

"        Arthur  Henderson  Smith China. 

1871.  GusTAVUs  Albertus  Alexy Spain. 

"        Oscar  Joshua  Hardin Syria. 

"        John  Henry  House Turkey. 

Edwin  Rufus  Lewis Syria. 

"        Prank  Alphonso  Wood Syria. 

1872.  Marcellus  Bowen Turkey. 

"        Leander  William  Pilcuer Cliina. 

1873.  Isaac  Baird Odanali,  Wis. 

"        John  Gillis Indian  Territory. 

"        Samuel  Whittlesey  Howland Ceylon. 

"        Myron  Winslow  Hunt China. 

1874.  Thomas  McCullock  Chrystie West  Indies. 

"        Charles  Lemon  Hall Dakota. 

"        Charles  Leaman China. 

1875.  David  Stayer Syria. 

"        Charles  Cummings  Stearns Turkey. 

1876.  George  Larkin  Clark 

"        George  Alfred  Ford Syria. 

"        Samuel  Lawrence  Ward Persia. 


110  THE    UNION   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

1877.  Thomas  Theron  Alexander Japan. 

"        William  Scott  Ament North  Cliina. 

"        James  Edward  Tracy India. 

"        Thomas  Clay  Winn Japan. 

1878.  Charles  William  Calhoun Syria. 

"        Joseph  Clark  Thomson Cliina. 

1879.  Justin  Edwards  Abbot India. 

"        William  Nesbitt  Chambers East  Turkey. 

"        IIiRAM  Hamilton Mexico. 

"        Junius  Herbert  Judson China. 

"        Isaac  Heyer  Polhemus Mexico. 

1880.  William  Martin  Brown Brazil. 

"        Albert  Andrew  Fulton Cliina. 

"        James  Woods  Hawkes Persia. 

"        John  Savillian  Ladd Bulgaria. 

"        IloLLO  Ogden Mexico. 

"        Willie  Herbert  Shaw North  China. 

"        Wellington  Jervis  White China. 

1881.  Arthur  Wodehouse  Marling West  Africa. 

"        Robert  Thomson Roumelia. 

1882.  Charles  David  McLaren Siam. 

"        William  Carter  Mekritt Sandwich  Islands. 

"        Prank  Vandermater  Mills China. 

"        Gilbert  Reid  . China. 

"        James  Elcana  Rogers Persia. 

1881.     Charles  Abbot  Dwight Turkey. 

"        James  Prancis  Garvin      ...     - Chili. 


part  B>tm\r}, 
BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


FOUNDERS,    DIRECTORS,    BENEFACTORS, 
AND    PROFESSORS. 


BIOGEAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


I. 

FOUNDERS,  DIRECTORS,  AND   BENEFACTORS. 

Absalom  Peters,  D.  D.,  (1836-1842,)  traced  his  descent 
directly  from  a  brother  of  the  famous  Rev.  Hugh  Peters,  who 
came  to  New  England  in  1635,  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the 
First  Church  in  Salem,  Mass.,  returned  to  London  on  behalf 
of  the  Colony  in  1641,  where  he  warmly  espoused  the  cause  of 
Cromwell,  and  was  beheaded  on  the  restoration  of  Charles  the 
Second.  His  memory  was  for  a  long  time  much  maligned  in 
English  history,  but  has  been  earnestly  vindicated  by  Carlyle 
and  by  the  Rev.  Charles  W.  Upham,  one  of  his  successors 
in  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Church  in  Salem.  The  father 
of  Absalom,  General  Absalom  Peters,  was  a  native  of  He- 
bron, Conn.,  and  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  in  1780. 
On  leaving  college,  he  immediately  joined  the  Revolutionary 
army,  and  was  engaged  in  the  closing  struggles  of  the  "War 
of  Independence.  Later,  he  became  a  leading  citizen,  and 
filled  various  offices,  military,  legislative,  and  judicial,  in  his 
adopted  State.  In  1782  he  married  Mary  Rogers,  daughter 
of  Nathaniel  Rogers,  of  Leominster,  Mass.,  who  claimed  to 
be  a  lineal  descendant  from  John  Rogers,  the  martyr,  burned 
at  Smithficld  in  1555.  Tliey  raised  to  maturity  a  family  of 
nine  children,  of  whom  Absalom,  the  fourth  son,  was  born  at 
Wentworth,  N.  H.,  September  19,  1793. 


114  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

In  1866  Dr.  Peters  published  a  poem,  entitled  Birth-day 
3Iemorial  of  Seventy  Years,  with  a  brief  introduction  by  his 
friend,  Dr.  Ray  Palmer.  In  notes  to  this  poem  he  gives  some 
interesting  recollections  of  his  early  life.  When  a  child  of  six 
years,  the  news  of  the  death  of  Washington  made  an  indelible 
impression  upon  him.     Referring  to  it  here,  he  says  :  — 

Time  has  had  no  tendency  to  efface  the  scene.  Child  as  I  was, 
I  was  by  no  means  unprepared  to  be  deeply  affected  by  the  an- 
nouncement, and  the  manner  of  it  was  dramatic  and  exciting.  My 
mother  was  busy  at  her  household  cares,  and  myself  and  the 
younger  children  at  hand,  when  my  father  came  in  with  an  expres- 
sion of  sorrow  which  I  had  not  befoi-e  witnessed,  and  said,  with 
trembling  voice  and  tearful  e^-e,  "I  bring  heavy  tidings  ;  Wash- 
ington is  dead."  He  then  read  the  account  from  a  newspaper 
bordered  with  broad  blackened  lines  of  mourning.  The  effect  was 
memorable.  Ko  death  had  yet  occurred  in  my  father's  family,  and 
this  was  the  first  that  brought  mourning  to  our  home.  The  name 
of  AVashington  was  a  household  word,  and  a  home  sorrow  was  that 
produced  by  his  death.  My  father,  by  virtue  of  his  office,  wore 
the  prescribed  badge  of  mourning  thirty  days,  and  the  oft-repeated 
expressions  of  grief  and  condolence  with  neighbors  and  friends 
impressed  me  with  a  sense  of  the  great  bereavement  which  I  could 
never  forget.  So  will  the  death  of  President  Lincoln  be  remem- 
bered, and  still  more  effectively,  by  the  children  of  the  present 
generation. 

The  spirit  of  the  Revolution  was  still  all-pervading,  and  had 
a  moulding  influence  upon  the  character  of  the  boy.  He  thus 
writes :  — 

I  well  remember  the  pride  of  conscious  manliness  witli  which, 
as  captain,  at  the  age  of  eleven  and  twelve  j-ears,  I  trained  a 
company  of  sixt}'  boys,  with  wooden  guns,  myself  declced  with  the 
trappings  of  mv  father's  Continental  uniform,  suited  to  my  size. 
With  special  impression  of  our  military  importance,  at  a  Fourth  of 
July  celebration,  I  formed  them  in  "  hollow  square,"  with  arms 
at  rest,  to  receive  the  commendation  of  the  regimental  colonel  in 
a  special  address.  Such  scenes  were  among  the  most  inspiring 
and  invigorating  of  my  earlj'  years. 


ABSALOM  PETERS.  115 

Absalom  was  trained  up  in  the  r;trict  principles  of  Puritan 
faitli  and  piety.  He  early  accc|)ted  the  teachings  of  the  "  New 
England  Primer"  as  his  rightful  heritage.  His  parents  were 
both  well  educated,  wise,  and  judicious  ;  and  so,  notwithstand- 
ing the  disadvantages  and  scanty  religious  privileges  of  a 
new  settlement,  he  enjoyed  the  best  of  all  schooling,  that  of 
a  Christian  home.  To  his  mother  he  felt  especially  indebted 
for  his  good  principles.  A  woman  of  rare  self-possession, 
dignity,  and  grace,  her  influence  was  full  of  salutary  restraint, 
and  of  allurement  to  what  was  pure  and  virtuous. 

It  Avas  a  rule  with  General  Peters  to  allow  his  boys,  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  to  choose  their  course  of  life,  and  to  seek  the 
education  required  to  answer  its  ends.  Absalom  chose  a  mil- 
itary life,  and  an  education  at  West  Point.  While  awaiting 
■  an  appointment  as  cadet,  he  went  to  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  his  oldest  brother,  then 
a  mercliant  in  that  city.  Here,  through  the  daily  read- 
ing of  the  Bible  given  him  by  his  mother  on  leaving  home, 
and  under  the  zealous  ministry  of  Elder  Webb,  a  Baptist 
clergyman,  he  was  led  to  devote  himself  to  the  service  of  God. 
He  now  determined  to  become  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel ; 
with  this  view  he  returned  home,  and,  after  the  requisite  pre- 
paratory course,  entered  Dartmouth  College,  in  1812.  Gradu- 
ating in  1816,  he  was  engaged  for  a  short  time  as  a  teacher  in 
this  city,  and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  entered  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Princeton.  There,  "  under  venerable 
and  beloved  professors,"  to  use  his  own  words,  he  pursued 
his  studies  until  May,  1819,  when  he  was  licensed  to  i)reach 
the  Gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  York.  His  first  sermon 
was  preached  in  the  old  Brick  Church,  corner  of  Nassau  and 
Beekman  Streets,  to  the  congregation  of  tlie  Rev.  Dr.  Gardi- 
ner Spring.  After  his  license,  he  was  employed  as  a  home 
missionary  by  the  Synod  of  Albany,  and  labored  for  a  time 
within  its  bounds.  In  August  of  the  same  year  he  was  in- 
vited to  the  First  Church  in  Bennington,  Vt.,  as  a  stated  sup- 


116  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

ply.  It  was  at  that  time  a  very  difficult  field,  but  his  labors 
proved  so  acceptable,  that,  after  a  few  months,  the  church 
and  society  gave  him  a  unanimous  call  to  become  their  pastor. 
He  was  ordained  and  installed  on  July  5,  1820.  After  a 
very  successful  pastorate  of  nearly  five  and  a  half  years,  he  ac- 
cepted the  call  of  the  "  United  Domestic  Missionary  Society  " 
to  become  its  secretary,  and  as  such  to  aid  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society.  His  dismis- 
sion took  place  on  December  14,  1825.  The  American  Home 
Missionary  Society  was  formed  in  May,  1826,  and  Mr  Peters 
was  appointed  its  first  corresponding  secretary,  which  office 
he  held,  by  successive  elections,  until  he  resigned  it  in  the 
autumn  of  1837. 

These  twelve  years  he  regarded  as  the  most  useful  and 
effective  of  his  life.  I  doubt  if  any  other  man  in  the  coun- 
try did  so  much  for  its  evangelization  during  those  years  as 
Absalom  Peters.  His  labors  were  remarkable  alike  in  ex- 
tent and  power.  He  was  the  principal  agent  of  the  society 
in  organizing  and  compacting  its  system,  and  extending  its 
arrangements  to  combine,  in  one  united  effort  and  agency, 
all  denominations  of  Evangelical  Christians  who  could  be 
persuaded  thus  to  unite,  irrespective  of  their  sectarian  pecu- 
liarities, in  a  vigorous  and  persistent  national  endeavor  to 
supply  all  the  waste  places  of  the  land  with  a  faithful  and 
competent  ministry  of  the  Gospel.  During  his  term  the 
society  tripled  its  income,  and  quadrupled  the  number  of 
its  missionaries.  He  travelled  in  nearly  all  the  States  and 
Territories  of  the  Union,  a  distance  of  perhaps  three  times 
the  circumference  of  the  globe,  mostly  on  steamboats  and 
by  stages,  everywhere  making  friends  to  the  cause,  and 
stirring  up  the  churches  to  new  zeal  and  liberality.  He 
projected  and  edited  the  Home  Missionary  and  Pastor's 
Journal,  and  the  first  twelve  annual  reports  of  the  society 
were  written  by  his  own  hand.  One  must  read  this  magazine 
and  these  reports  in  order  to  understand  either  the  tireless 


ABSALOM  PETERS.  117 

energy  or  the  enthusiasm  with  vliich  he  gave  himself  uj)  to 
the  Home  Mission  cause.  An  extract  from  the  Annual  Re- 
port lor  1828  will  show  with  what  a  prophetic  eye  he  looked 
into  the  future : — 

As  the  field  enlarges,  they  are  multiplied  who  are  ready  to  go  in 
and  possess  it ;  and  soon,  it  may  be  expected,  they  who  dwell  on  the 
Alk'ghanies,  and  the  increasing  millions  of  the  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissi[)pi,  will  join  their  voices  with  ours  in  i)roclaiming  the  words  of 
eternal  life  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the 
valleys  beyond.  Another  generation  will  scarcely  have  passed 
awa}-  before  all  this  may  be  realized,  and  a  stone  may  be  set  up  on 
the  shore  of  the  Western  Ocean,  and  our  children's  children  that 
dwell  there  may  write  upon  it,  Ebenezer,  and  read  the  interpreta- 
tion thereof  in  their  mother  tongue :  Hitherto  the  Loud  hath 
HELPED  us. 

Some  forty  years  later,  not  many  days  before  his  dej)arturc, 
Dr.  Peters  witnessed  the  fulfilment  of  these  glowing  anticipa- 
tions, as  the  booming  of  cannon  and  the  ringing  of  bells 
announced  the  completion  of  the  Pacific  Railroad.  The  par- 
tial failure  of  his  vocal  organs,  which  required  rest  from  pub- 
lic speaking,  was  a  main  cause  of  his  resignation.  But  until 
1844  he  remained  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  society,  and  participated  in  its  w^cekly  councils. 

It  was  during  his  twelve  years  of  service  as  Home  Mission- 
ary secretary  and  editor,  that  Dr.  Peters  became  involved  in 
the  ecclesiastical  and  theological  conflicts  then  agitating  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  w^as  one  of  the  strongest  advocates 
of  the  principles  and  operations  of  voluntary  societies,  and 
one  of  the  ablest  defenders  of  Albert  Barnes  on  the  floor  of 
the  General  Assembly.  He  also  took  a  leading  part  in  op- 
posing the  Exscinding  Act,  in  the  Assembly  of  1837.  '•  If  Dr. 
Beman  was  the  great  polemic  of  the  New  School  i)arty.  Dr. 
Peters  was  its  skilful  and  fertile  strategist,  —  a  sprightly  de- 
bater, always  self-possessed,  full  of  anecdote  and  humor,  of 
imperturbable  good  nature  and  inexhaustible  resources.    With 


118  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

a  perfect  command  of  the  rules  of  order,  and  a  practical  judg- 
ment that  never  failed  him,  understanding  both  himself  and 
his  opponents,  he  rendered  himself  so  formidable  upon  the 
floor  of  the  Assembly,  that  a  leader  of  the  opposition  once 
offered  to  exchange  six  of  his  own  retainers  for  Dr.  Peters,  if 
he  would  come  over  to  that  side  !  "  ^ 

Dr.  Peters's  own  reflections  upon  this  part  of  his  public  life 
are  excellent :  — 

These  conflicts,  I  can  trul}'  sa}',  have  never  been  sought  by  me. 
On  the  contrary,  I  have  ever  shrunk  from  their  responsibilities,  and 
would  gladly  have  avoided  them.  But  the  necessity  of  similar 
conflicts  I  now  regard  as  often  unavoidable  in  the  life  of  every 
earnest  man  who  is  called  to  bear  a  leading  part  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  great  things  for  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  I  have  therefore 
no  reason  to  regret  that  such  conflicts  have  fallen  to  my  lot.  What- 
ever of  personal  sacrifice  the^-  may  have  involved  has  been  more 
than  repaid  b}'  the  consciousness  of  high  resolves  of  duty,  and  of 
fealty  to  Him  who  judgeth  righteously.  To  Him  also  I  have  learned 
to  look  for  the  forgiveness  of  whatever  may  have  been  wrong  in  the 
spirit  of  my  advocacy  even  of  a  good  cause,  and  patiently  to  wait 
for  the  vindication  of  motives  and  purposes,  which  even  Christian 
men  of  opposing  opinions  are  often  slow  to  recognize. 

In  his  defence  of  Mr.  Barnes,  in  the  General  Assembly  of 
1836,  against  the  charges  of  the  Synod  that  had  silenced  him 
for  heresy,  Dr.  Peters  considered  that  he  was  maintaining  the 
cause  at  once  of  ecclesiastical  liberty  and  of  a  sound  theology. 
While  a  sincere  Calvinist,  his  Calvinism  was  of  the  New  Eng- 
land type,  and  brought  him  into  sympathy  with  what  he  re- 
garded as  "  improvements,"  and  more  Scriptural,  as  well  as 
more  reasonable,  statements  of  the  old  doctrine.  On  the 
questions  then  in  dispute  respecting  sin,  ability,  the  nature 
and  extent  of  the  atonement.  Divine  sovereignty,  grace,  faith, 
and  the  way  of  salvation,  his  views  were  very  decided,  and 
such  as  he  thought  best  represented  the  true  spirit  and  prin- 
ciples of  the  Gospel. 

1  Eev.  Dr.  Joseph  P.  Thompson,  LL.  D. 


ABSALOM  PETERS.  119 

For  several  years  after  retiring  from  the  service  of  the 
Home  Missionary  Society,  Dr.  Peters  devoted  himself  to  liter- 
ary work.  In  January,  1838,  he  assumed  editorial  charge  of 
The  American  Biblical  Hepositori/,  succeeding  Edward  Robin- 
son and  B.  B.  Edwards ;  and  in  1841  he  commenced  the  ])ub- 
lication  of  The  American  Eclectic,  a  bi-monthly,  ])lanned  by 
himself.  In  1842  he  relinquished  his  editorial  labors  to  en- 
gage in  a  financial  agency  for  the  Union  Theological  Seminary. 
He  was  also  elected  Professor  of  Homilctics  and  Pastoral  The- 
ology in  that  institution,  but  declined  the  appointment.  On 
the  20th  of  November,  1844,  he  was  installed  pastor  of  the 
"  First  Church  of  Christ "  in  Williamstown,  Mass.  Here  he 
labored  with  fidelity  and  success  for  eight  years.  In  1852  he 
undertook  a  financial  agency  for  Williams  College,  and  two 
years  later  resigned  his  pastorate.  He  was  now  sixty-one 
years  old,  and,  owing  to  scrivener's  paralysis  and  some  other 
infirmities,  felt  that  he  ought  to  retire  to  private  life.  Bat 
the  event  proved  that  he  had  mistaken  the  symptoms  of  de- 
cline. Fifteen  years  of  health  and  usefulness  were  still  hefore 
him.  In  1856  he  commenced  The  American  Journal  of  Edu- 
cation and  College  Revieiv.  He  also  contributed  to  other 
periodicals  and  to  the  religious  press,  besides  supplying  pul- 
pits in  different  places.  He  wrote  during  this  period,  with 
his  left  hand  and  with  great  labor  and  care,  a  volume  to  be 
entitled  Co-operative  Christianity :  the  Kingdom  of  Christ  in 
Contrast  with  Denominational  Churches;  but  it  has  never 
been  published. 

The  last  few  years  of  his  life  were  passed  very  happily 
in  New  York.  In  the  poem  already  mentioned,  he  thus  re- 
fers to  the  changes  which  time  had  wrought  during  his 
absence  :  — 

The  moving  throngs,  by  boat  and  car, 
The  squadrons  hastening  to  the  war. 
The  crowds  at  rural  gay  retreats. 
In  marts  of  business,  or  in  streets, 
Of  bustling  city  trade  and  show, 


120  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Where  restless  millions  come  and  go, 
With  hosts  of  idlers,  poor  and  vain, 
And  thousands  toiling  hard  for  gain; 
Thronged  churches  and  conventions  grave, 
Lost  souls  or  commonwealths  to  save; 
And  men  in  all  the  walks  of  life  — 
Their  competitions  keen  and  rife  — 
Of  human  kind  the  surging  tide, 
The  shady  and  the  sunny  side; 
Save  here  and  there  an  old  man  gray  — 
And  oft  the  young  politely  say 
Kind  words  to  old  men,  I  see — ■ 
Else  all,  alas !  were  strange  to  me. 

Still,  while  3"et  lingering  on  the  stage,  he  found  con- 
stant delight  in  the  new  generations,  whether  known  or 
unknown : — 

I  live  in  them,  as  sire  in  son, 

And  joy  in  all  their  doings,  done 

For  man's  advancement,  and  the  praise 

Of  Him  who  giveth  length  of  days. 

Nor  would  I  fail  to  sympathize 

With  all  that's  good  and  just  and  wise. 

Though  wrought  by  younger  lives  than  mine, 

Increasing  they  as  I  decline. 

He  died  in  the  peace  of  God,  May  18,  1869,  in  the  seventy- 
sixth  year  of  his  age,  beloved  and  honored  by  all  who  knew 
him.  A  few  years  before  his  death  he  projected  the  beautiful 
Woodlawn  Cemetery,  on  the  line  of  the  Harlem  Railroad, 
and,  as  actuary  of  the  company,  devoted  much  of  his  time  to 
the  superintendence  of  the  work.  As  an  organizer  and  secre- 
tary of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  as  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  and  as  projector 
of  the  Woodlawn  Cemetery,  —  not  to  speak  of  other  services, 
—  his  name  is  sure  to  be  kept  in  lasting  remembrance.  This 
sketch  may  be  fitly  closed  in  his  own  words :  — 

It  is  characteristic  of  every  enterprise  which  has  God  for  its 
author  to  hold  on  its  way.  When  the  Holy  Spirit  moves  the 
friends  of  Christ  to  co-operate  with  Himself  in  accomplishing  any 


WILLIAM  P  ATT  ON.  121 

one  of  the  eternal  purposes  of  His  love,  He  confers  upon  their 
influence  a  permanence  answerable  to  that  of  its  object.  As  God 
works  in  them  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure,  they  work  ; 
and  when  the}'  die,  the  Spirit  that  wrought  in  them  still  lives,  and 
constrains  others  to  enter  into  their  labors.  Thus  the  enterprise 
goes  on.  Its  object  is  as  immutable  as  its  author ;  and  though 
the}'  that  serve  in  its  accomplishment  do  not  continue  by  reason 
of  death,  their  instrumentality  becomes  perpetual  by  the  successive 
efforts  of  others,  influenced  and  blessed  by  the  same  Spirit. 

William  Patton,  D.  D.,  (1836-1849,)  was  born  in  Phil- 
adelphia, August  23,  1798.  Like  so  many  other  eminent 
ministers  in  our  Presbyterian  annals  he  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  His  father,  Colonel  Robert  Patton,  came  in  youth 
to  this  country,  was  an  officer  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution, 
and  served  under  Lafayette.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the 
war  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Philadelphia,  then  the 
leading  post-office  in  the  country,  and  this  position  he  con- 
tinued to  hold  until  his  death  in  1814,  a  period  of  about 
thirty  years.  He  was  a  man  of  solid  worth  and  universally 
esteemed.  On  the  side  of  his  mother,  Cornelia  Bridges,  Dr. 
Patton  could  trace  his  ancestry,  in  one  direction,  to  the  family 
of  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  in  another  to  the  noble  families  of 
Chandoss,  Culpepper,  and  Fairfax,  of  Virginia  and  England. 
In  his  nineteenth  year  he  united  with  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Philadelphia,  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  that 
distinguished  divine,  the  Rev.  James  P.  Wilson,  D.  D.  Grad- 
uated at  Middlebury  College  in  1818,  he  studied  theology  for 
about  a  year  at  Princeton,  and  was  then  licensed  to  preach  by 
the  Addison  Congregational  Association  of  Vermont,  in  June, 
1819.  Shortly  after,  he  married  Mary  Weston,  then  residing 
with  her  brother,  Captain  Abijah  Weston,  in  the  city  of  New 
York.  She  was  a  woman  of  admirable  qualities,  a  true  help- 
meet in  his  pastoral  work,  and  the  mother  of  his  ten  children. 

On  leaving  Princeton,  the  youthful  preacher  came  to  New 
York,  and  of  his  own  accord  entered  upon  the  work  of  an 


122  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

evangelist.  Going  to  what  was  then  the  very  edge  of  the 
town,  north  of  Canal  Street,  he  hired  a  small  school-house  for 
use  on  Sundays  at  his  own  expense,  and  notified  the  people  of 
the  neighborhood  that  religious  services  might  be  expected. 
On  the  first  Sabbath  in  March,  1820,  he  rang  the  bell,  and 
called  in  an  audience  of  seven  persons,  to  whom  he  preached. 
Out  of  this  humble  beginning  grew  the  Central  Presbyterian 
Church,  whose  history  forms  so  important  a  chapter  in  the 
later  religious  annals  of  Xew  York.  On  the  7th  of  June,  1820, 
Mr.  Patton  was  ordained  by  the  same  body  that  had  licensed 
him  to  preach.  The  church  was  organized  January  8,  1821, 
of  four  members  only ;  May  7,  1822,  a  neat  brick  edifice  on 
Broome  Street,  near  Broadway,  built  through  his  efforts,  was 
opened  for  worship;  and  June  21,  1822,  he  was  installed  as 
pastor.  Here  he  labored  with  signal  success  for  twelve  years. 
During  this  period  five  hundred  and  sixty-four  persons  united 
with  the  church  on  public  confession  of  Christ,  —  an  annual 
average  addition  of  forty-two.  The  church  was  noted  far  and 
near  for  its  liberality,  its  activity  in  various  forms  of  Christian 
work,  and  for  the  revivals  with  which  it  was  blessed.  Harlan 
Page  was  one  of  its  ciders,  and  superintendent  of  its  Sunday 
School. 

But  Dr.  Patton's  influence  reached  beyond  his  own  congre- 
gation. He  took  a  leading  part  in  organizing  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society,  and  later,  in  1831,  the  Third  Pres- 
bytery of  New  York.  In  1834  he  was  persuaded  to  accept  an 
appointment  as  secretary  of  the  Central  American  Education 
Society,  William  Adams  coming  from  Xew  England  to  succeed 
him  in  the  pastorate  of  the  Broome  Street  Church.  For  three 
years  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  cause  of  ministerial  education 
with  characteristic  energy  and  enthusiasm,  winning  for  it 
great  favor  among  the  churches.  It  was  at  this  time,  when 
his  whole  soul  was  aglow  with  the  thought  of  training  up 
laborers  and  sending  them  forth  into  the  Lord's  harvest,  that 
he  suggested  a  theological  seminary  in  this  city,  and  took  so 


WILLIAM  P  ATT  ON.  123 

important  a  part  in  founding  it.  He  was  deeply  interested, 
also,  in  the  establishment  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  in  which  his  brother  Robert,  the  eminent  Greek  scholar, 
was  a  Professor.  On  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Henry  G.  Ludlow, 
as  pastor  of  the  Spring  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  Dr.  Pat- 
toii,  now  in  his  fortieth  year,  was  invited  to  succeed  him.  He 
accepted  the  call,  and  was  installed  October  11,  1837.  It  is  a 
curious  indication  of  the  difference  between  the  New  York  of 
fifty  years  ago  and  the  New  York  of  to-day,  that  he  was  called 
with  the  tacit  understanding  that  ho  should  move  in  from  the 
country,  although  at  that  time  he  was  living  in  his  own  house, 
and  "  the  country  "  reached  no  farther  out  than  Ninth  Street, 
between  University  Place  and  Broadway. 

This  second  pastorate  lasted  ten  years  and  was  not  less 
remarkable  than  the  first  for  its  abundant  fruits.  Ninety- 
six  persons  were  added  to  the  church  on  confession  during 
the  first  six  months,  and  one  hundred  and  twelve  as  the 
result  of  a  great  awakening  in  1840.  Many  of  the  young 
men  of  the  church  were  persuaded  by  him  to  devote  their 
lives  to  the  sacred  ministry.  After  a  brief  pastorate  in  the 
Hammond  Street  Congregational  Church,  Dr.  Patton  gave 
himself  up  to  literary  work,  to  occasional  preaching,  chiefly 
in  or  near  New  Haven  and  Hartford,  and  to  voyages  to  the 
Old  World.  In  his  latest  years  he  crossed  the  ocean  annu- 
ally, to  visit  a  married  daughter  who  resided  in  London.  He 
spent  a  good  deal  of  time  in  England,  where  he  was  intimate 
with  leading  Independent  ministers,  whose  pulpits  he  often 
occupied,  and  by  whom  lie  was  highly  esteemed.  A  warm 
friendship  existed  between  him  and  the  Rev.  John  Angell 
James  of  Birmingham,  who  once  stated  publicly,  that  for  the 
character  and  success  of  his  ministry  he  had  been  more  in- 
debted to  the  early  influence  of  his  friend.  Dr.  Patton  of  New 
York,  than  to  any  other  human  cause.  Dr.  Patton  was  a  firm 
believer  in  special  seasons  of  religious  awakening,  and  labored 
earnestly,  especially  by  republishing  President  Edwards's  and 


124  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Mr.  Finney's  writings  on  the  subject,  to  promote  such  revivals 
in  Great  Britain.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  catholicity  of 
spirit,  and  took  a  deep  interest  in  everything  looking  towards 
closer  union  among  the  followers  of  Christ.  In  a  letter  on 
the  subject  to  Rev.  John  Angell  James,  dated  March  28, 1843, 
he  wrote  :  — 

It  appears  to  me  that  the  time  cannot  be  distant  when  it  will 
be  most  proper  to  call  a  convention  of  delegates  from  all  Evan- 
gelical Churches,  to  meet  in  London,  for  the  purpose  of  setting 
forth  the  great  essential  truths  in  which  they  are  agreed.  I  know 
of  no  known  object  which  would  awaken  deeper  interest  than  such 
a  convention.  It  would  command  the  attendance  of  some  of  our 
strongest  men  from  all  evangelical  denominations,  and  the  result 
would  be  a  statement  of  views  which  would  have  the  most  blessed 
effect.  Such  an  invitation  should,  with  propriety,  come  from  your 
side  of  the  water.  But  if  ^-ou  think  it  desirable  to  have  certain 
men  here  unite  in  it,  I  have  no  doubt  I  could  procure  a  goodly  list 
of  names  to  an}'  paper  you  and  your  brethren  might  send  over. 
The  convention  might  be  held  in  Jul}-  of  1845,  in  London.  Dele- 
gates could  come  from  the  Evangelical  Churches  of  the  Continent, 
of  America,  of  Scotland,  Ireland,  etc.  The  document  calling  that 
meeting  should  be  well  drawn  up,  clearl}'  setting  forth  the  object 
of  the  convention,  as  lifting  up  a  standard  against  papal  and 
prelatical  arrogance  and  assumption.,  and  embodying  the  great 
essential  doctrines  xohich  are  held  in  common  by  all  consiste?it 
Protestants.  Peculiarities  of  church  order  to  be  excluded.  I  am 
persuaded  that  such  a  conv^ention  would  meet  with  the  hearty  con- 
currence and  co-operation  of  a  vast  multitude.  It  would  exhibit 
to  the  world  an  amount  of  practical  union  among  Christians  of 
which  they  little  dream.  It  would  greatl}'  strengthen  the  hearts  of 
God's  people,  and  would  promote  a  better  state  of  feeling  among 
the  denominations.  I  trust,  my  dear  brother,  that  you  will  act  in 
this  matter,  and,  before  you  are  called  home  to  your  rest  and  re- 
ward, strive  to  secure  such  a  meeting. 

Open  a  correspondence  with  Dr.  Chalmers,  Dr.  Wardlaw,  and 
others  of  Scotland,  with  prominent  men  among  the  Baptists,  Meth- 
odists, Moravians,  and  other  denominations.  Sir  Cullen  Eardly 
Smith  will  go  heart  and  soul  with  you.  Now  may  our  beloved 
Lord,   who  prayed  that  His  disciples  might   be   one,   graciously 


WILLIAM  PATTON.  125 

guide  you  and  others  in  this  matter,  and  make  you  instruments  of 
great  good  !  Should  such  a  document  be  published  on  A'our  side 
of  the  water,  calling  such  a  convention,  our  ecclesiastical  meetings 
would  sanction  it,  and  our  religious  papers  would  forward  it.  The 
convention  need  not  be  together  more  than  ten  days,  at  most ;  but 
the  result  would  be  blessed  for  all  future  time. 

Mr.  James,  in  publishing  the  letter,  added  :  "  The  subject 
of  tliis  letter  is  of  momentous  consequence ;  it  presents  a 
splendid  conception  of  the  human  mind."  The  convention, 
as  is  well  known,  was  held  at  London  in  August,  1846, 
and  there  organized  the  Evangelical  Alliance.  Drs.  Lyman 
Beecher,  Skinner,  Cox,  and  Fatten  were  among  the  American 
delegates. 

Dr.  Patton  was  a  clear  and  forcible  writer,  quick,  fresh,  and 
suggestive  in  thought,  and  knew  well  how  to  reach  the  popular 
mind.  In  1833  he  recast  an  English  commentary  called  The 
Cottage  Bible,  made  a  substantially  new  work  of  it,  and  issued 
it  in  two  royal  octavo  volumes.  More  than  one  hundred  and 
seventy  thousand  copies  of  this  family  commentary  had  been 
sold  in  this  country  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  also 
published  The  Cottage  Testament.  Dissatisfied  with  the  hymn- 
books  then  in  use,  he  united  with  Thomas  Hastings  in  com- 
piling The  Christian  Psalmist,  which  had  a  wide  circulation. 
Two  of  his  books  were  first  published  in  England  by  the 
Religious  Tract  Society  ;  namely,  The  Judgment  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ;  Who  tvas  He  ?  What  is  He  not  ? 
His  last  work,  a  volume  of  over  six  hundred  pages,  is  enti- 
tled, Bible  Principles  illustrated  by  Bible  Characters. 

Dr.  Patton  was  in  full  sympathy  with  the  reformatory  spirit 
of  the  age.  Strong  antislavery  principles  came  to  him  as  a 
heritage  from  his  father,  who  declined  the  offer  of  President 
Madison  to  make  him  Postmaster  General,  because  unwilling 
to  remove  his  family  to  a  slaveholding  community.  His 
patriotism,  too,  was  inherited  from  his  father,  who,  as  a 
Revolutionary  hero,  put  country  above  party  and  self,  and 


126  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

when  made  postmaster  of  Philadelphia  refused  to  appoint  any 
of  his  sons  to  a  clerkship,  and  on  his  dying  bed  forbade  them 
to  apply  to  be  his  successor,  saying  the  office  should  now  go 
to  another  family.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  Dr. 
Patton,  who  was  then  in  England,  joined  with  other  Ameri- 
cans abroad  in  purchasing  a  Whitworth  battery  for  the  Union 
forces.  Besides  writing  articles  for  the  English  daily  papers 
in  explanation  and  defence  of  the  North,  he  published  in 
London  a  pamphlet  entitled,  The  American  Crisis,  or  The 
True  Issue :  Slavery  or  Liberty.  And  he  amazed,  as  well  as 
affronted,  many  of  his  English  friends,  by  assuring  them  that 
every  dollar  of  American  property  on  the  high  seas  destroyed 
by  Confederate  cruiser's  fitted  out  in  England  would  be  paid 
for  ultimately  by  the  British  government. 

Dr.  Patton  became  a  temperance  reformer  at  the  very  outset 
of  his  ministry.  His  own  account  of  the  matter  deserves 
to  be  given,  as  throwing  light  upon  his  strong  character  and 
upon  the  drinking  usages  of  New  York  sixty  years  ago  :  — 

M}-  interest  in  the  cause  of  temperance  was  awakened  by  the 
evidence  which  crowded  upon  me  as  a  pastor,  in  the  c\t\  of  New 
York,  of  the  aboundings  of  intemperance.  The  use  of  alcoholic 
drinks  was  then  universal.  Liquor  was  sold  by  the  glass  at  almost 
ever}'  corner.  It  stood  on  ever}'  side-board,  and  was  urged  upon 
every  visitor.  It  was  spread  upon  every  table,  and  abounded  at 
all  social  gatherings.  It  found  a  conspicuous  place  at  nearlv  every 
funeral.  It  ruled  in  every  work-shop.  Many  merchants  kept  it  in 
their  counting-rooms,  and  offered  it  to  their  customers  who  came 
from  the  interior  to  purchase  goods.  Men  in  all  the  learned  pro- 
fessions, as  well  as  merchants,  mechanics,  and  laborers,  fell  b}'  this 
destroyer.  These  and  other  facts  so  impressed  vay  mind,  that  I 
determined  to  make  them  the  subject  of  a  sermon.  Accordingly, 
on  the  Sabbath  evening  of  September  17,  1820,  I  preached  on  the 
subject  from  Romans  xii.  2,  "Be  not  conformed  to  this  world," 
etc.  After  a  statement  of  the  facts  which  proved  the  great  preva- 
lence of  intemperance,  I  branded  distilled  liquors  as  a  poison, 
because  of  their  effects  upon  the  human  constitution  ;  I  urged 
therefore  that  the  selling  of  them  should  be  stopped.     The  sermon 


WILLIAM  PATTON.  127 

stated,  that,  whilst  the  drunkard  is  a  guilty  person,  the  retail  seller 
is  more  guilt}',  the  wholesale  dealer  still  more  guilty,  and  the  dis- 
tiller, who  converts  the  staff  of  life,  the  benevolent  gift  of  God, 
into  the  arrows  of  death,  is  the  most  guilty.  Tlien  followed  an 
appeal  to  professors  of  religion  engaged  in  the  traffic  to  abandon 
it.  These  positions  were  treated  with  scorn  and  derision.  A  por- 
tion of  the  retail  dealers  threatened  personal  violence  if  I  dared  to 
speak  again  on  this  subject. 

During  the  week,  a  merchant,  who  had  found  one  of  his  clerks 
in  haunts  of  vice,  in  a  short  paragraph  in  a  daily  paper  exhorted 
merchants  and  master  mechanics  to  look  into  Walnut  Street,  Cor- 
ker's Hook,  if  the}"  would  know  where  their  clerks  and  apprentices 
spent  Saturday'  nights.  This  publication  determined  me,  in  corn- 
pan}'  with  some  dozen  resolute  Christian  men,  to  explore  that  sink 
of  iniquity.  This  we  did  on  Saturday  night,  September  23,  1820. 
"We  walked  that  short  street  for  two  hours,  from  ten  to  twelve 
o'clock. 

On  our  return  to  my  study  we  compai-ed  notes,  and  became 
satisfied  of  the  following  facts.  On  one  side  of  Walnut  Street 
there  were  thirty  houses,  and  each  one  was  a  drinking  place  with 
an  open  bar.  There  were  eleven  ball-rooms,  in  which  the  music 
and  dancing  were  constant.  We  counted  on  one  side  two  hundred 
and  ten  females,  and  at  the  same  time,  on  the  other  side,  eighty- 
seven,  —  in  all,  two  hundred  and  ninety-seven.  Their  ages  varied 
from  fourteen  to  forty.  The  men  far  outnumbered  the  women, 
being  a  mixture  of  sailors  and  landsmen,  and  of  diverse  nations. 
Many  of  them,  both  men  and  women,  were  fearfully  drunk,  and  all 
were  more  or  less  under  the  influence  of  liquor.  We  were  deeply 
pained  at  the  sight  of  so  many  young  men,  evidently  clerks  or 
apprentices.  The  scenes  of  that  night  made  a  permanent  impres- 
sion on  my  mind.  They  confirmed  my  purpose  to  do  all  in  my 
power  to  save  my  fellow-men  from  the  terrible  influences  of  intoxi- 
cating drinks.  I  began  promptly,  and  incorporated  in  a  sermon 
the  above  and  other  alarming  statistics  of  that  exploration,  which 
I  preached  on  the  evening  of  Sabbath,  September  24,  1820,  notice 
having  been  given  of  the  subject.  The  text  was,  Isaiah  Iviii.  1 : 
"  Cry  aloud  and  spare  not;  lift  up  thy  voice  like  a  trumpet,"  etc. 
My  first  topic  was  the  duty  of  ministers  fearlessly  to  cry  out 
against  prevailing  evils.  The  second  topic  was  the  sins  of  the 
day,  particularly  Sabbath  desecration  and  drunkenness,  with  their 


128  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

accessories.  After  a  statement  of  facts  and  other  arguments,  my 
appeal  was  made  to  the  Scriptures,  which  are  decided  and  out- 
spoken against  intemperance.  The  house  was  crowded  with  very 
attentive  listeners.     No  disturbance  took  place. 

Dr.  Patton,  in  the  days  of  his  power,  was  a  very  earnest 
and  effective  preacher.  The  arguments,  illustrations,  and  ap- 
plication of  his  discourses  were  alike  fitted  to  make  a  strong 
and  lasting  impression.  He  was  singularly  happy  in  preach- 
ing to  children,  for  whom  he  had  a  great  love.  On  the  plat- 
form, at  the  crowded  religious  anniversaries  of  fifty  years 
ago,  he  was  a  ready  and  favorite  speaker.  He  had  a  quick 
sense  of  humor,  and  it  gave  zest  both  to  his  public  addresses 
and  to  his  familiar  conversation.  In  intercourse  with  his 
ministerial  brethren,  especially  at  "Chi  Alpha,"  —  a  clerical 
circle  which  he  aided  in  forming,  —  he  was  always  genial  and 
helpful.  He  made  it  a  matter  of  conscience  to  be  prompt  and 
faithful  in  fulfilling  all  engagements.  An  anecdote  may  serve 
to  illustrate  this  trait,  as  also  his  earnestness  of  purpose  as  a 
preacher : — 

It  was  a  very  stormy  Sunday  in  winter,  when  the  snow  lay  some 
two  feet  deep  on  the  sidewalks.  Making  his  wa}'  to  the  church 
through  drifts,  he  found  but  a  single  auditor,  in  addition  to  the 
sexton,  and  he  a  stranger  seated  in  a  front  seat  of  the  gallery. 
Dr.  Patton  was  tempted  to  hold  no  service ;  but,  on  second 
thought,  he  reasoned  that  this  stranger  deserved  a  reward  for  his 
presence,  and  that  God  might  have  brought  him  there  for  special 
good.  So  the  usual  form  of  service  was  complied  with,  except  the 
singing,  and  the  sermon  fully  preached.  At  first,  the  auditor 
seemed  surprised,  and  uneasily  leaned  forward,  to  see  who  might 
chance  to  be  sitting  below ;  but,  catching  sight  of  no  one,  he  sur- 
rendered himself  to  the  sermon  with  marked  attention.  At  the 
close,  he  hastened  out  before  the  preacher  could  accost  him  ;  but 
a  few  days  later  he  called  at  the  house  for  conversation,  saying 
that  he  could  not  rid  his  mind  of  the  truth  heard  on  the  Lord's 
day.  He  soon  united  with  the  church,  was  a  useful  member  for 
many  3'ears,  and  then  removed  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
well  known  in  religious  circles  as  an  active  Christian. 


WILLIAM  PATTON. 


129 


It  is  not  strange  that  a  man  like  Dr.  Patton,  so  frank,  so 
fearless,  and  so  large-hearted,  should  have  had  devoted  friends 
outside  the  pale  of  his  own  church  and  creed.  After  his 
death,  a  learned  Jewish  Rabbi,  Dr.  J.  Wecksler,  published 
one  of  the  warmest  tributes  to  his  memory.  Here  is  an 
extract  from  it :  — 

This  noble  man  has  been  called  to  bis  eternal  home.  When  the 
sad  intelligence  reached  me  at  the  Far  West,  I  could  but  shed  a  tear 
of  sorrow  at  the  loss  I  sustained  by  the  death  of  my  true  friend. 
.  .  .  Dr.  Patton  was  a  man  of  profound  convictions,  and  I  differed 
with  him  on  many  religious  subjects,  but  never  an  unkuid  word 
was  spoken  by  him.  I  spent  many  happy  hours  in  his  companj', 
freely  and  frankly  discussing  questions  of  vital  importance,  but  we 
parted  always  as  true  friends.  Whenever  I  paid  him  a  visit,  he 
read  to  me  many  pages  of  manuscript  for  m^^  opinion.  Very  fre- 
quently I  had  to  criticise  many  views,  but  he  always  listened  pa- 
tiently, often  exclaiming,  '^  I  am  not  too  old  to  learn."  He  was 
anxious  to  hear  real  Jewish  questions  discussed.  There  was  some- 
thing especially  remarkable  in  Dr.  Patton ;  it  was  his  vigorous 
expression,  his  pointed  remarks,  on  any  occasion.  AVhere  others 
failed,  he  hit  the  nail  at  the  first  stroke.  He  possessed  courage  and 
energ}',  and  expressed  his  opinions  of  right  and  wrong,  without 
caring  the  least  whether  the}'  were  popular  or  not.  He  was  a 
God-fearing  man,  kind  and  aftectionate  as  a  father,  true  and  sincere 
to  his  friends,  just  and  upright  to  all.     Peace  to  his  ashes. 

Dr.  Patton  died  at  his  home  in  New  Haven,  September  9, 
1879,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age.  Always  bright  and 
cheery,  he  was  interested  to  the  very  last  in  all  the  events  of 
the  day,  and  as  full  of  hope  for  the  triumph  of  the  Gospel  at 
fourscore  as  he  had  been  in  the  enthusiasm  of  early  manhood. 

An  extract  from  his  letter  of  resignation  to  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  together  with 
one  from  the  Board's  reply,  will  fitly  close  this  sketch.  The 
letter  is  dated  January  2,  1849. 

I  am  induced  to  take  this  step,  not  because  of  any  diminution  of 
interest  in  the  Seminary.  From  the  beginning  hitherto,  it  has  had 
m}'  warmest  affections,  and  most  cordially  have  I  devoted  time  and 


130  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

labor  and  contributions  to  its  welfare.  The  evidences  of  its  use- 
fulness never  were  more  abundant,  and  my  ardent  desire  is  that  it 
ma^'  long  continue  a  blessing  to  the  churches  of  our  blessed  Lord. 

But  as  I  have  changed  ni}'  ecclesiastical  relations  by  becoming 
the  pastor  of  a  Congregational  church,  and  as  tlie  Seminary  was 
founded  as  a  Presbyterian  institution,  and  has  thus  far  been  con- 
ducted in  strict  harmony  with  the  views  of  its  founders  by  the 
election  only  of  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  the  Board 
of  Directors,  I  feel  that  it  would  be  indelicate,  to  say  the  least,  if 
not  positively  wrong,  for  me  to  hold  on  to  my  present  connection 
with  the  Board,  having  been  elected  a  member  as  a  pastor  of  a 
Presbyterian  church.  .  .  .  Allow  me  further  to  express  my  personal 
attachment  to  the  respective  members  of  the  Board,  as  also  to  the 
gentlemen  composing  the  Faculty,  and  to  assure  them  all  that  it  will 
ever  rejoice  m}-  heart  to  hear  of  the  prosperity'  of  the  Seminar}'. 

The  Board  expressed  their  feelings  on  the  occasion  in  a 
minute,  of  which  the  following  is  a  part :  — 

"Without  entering  at  all  into  the  question  whether  the  change 
which  has  taken  place  in  your  ecclesiastical  relations  necessitated 
this  act  on  your  part,  the  Board  feel  that  you  have  acted,  as  3'ou 
affirm,  under  a  solemn  sense  of  duty,  and  that,  in  accepting  your 
resignation,  they  do  it  with  great  reluctance.  They  recognize  in 
you  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  devoted  friends  of  the  Seminary, 
—  one  who  has  stood  by  it  in  days  of  difficulty  and  peril,  and  by 
whose  counsels  and  efforts,  in  connection  with  others,  it  has,  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  been  enabled  to  take  its  place  among  the  very 
first  institutions  of  the  kind  in  our  land.  The  Board,  therefore, 
part  with  you  from  their  counsels  with  sincere  and  deep  regret ; 
and  desire  to  express  to  3-ou  the  feelings  of  affectionate  confidence 
and  esteem  which  they  cherish  toward  you.  And  they  rejoice  in 
the  assurance  you  give  them  that  the  Seminary,  which  has  shared 
so  largely  in  the  benevolent  desires  of  your  heart,  and  which  has 
been  aided  so  materially  by  your  labors,  will  still  be  cherished  by 
3'ou,  and  that  it  will  continue  to  find  in  you  the  same  devoted  friend 
that  it  ever  has  found  in  the  past. 

Erskine  Mason,  D.D.,  (1836-1851,)  the  youngest  child  of 
Dr.  John  M.  and  Anna  Lefferts  Mason,  was  born  in  the  city 


ERSKINE  MA  SOX.  131 

of  New  York,  April  16,  1805.  He  was  named  in  honor  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Erskine  of  Edinburgh,  from  whom  his  fatlier  re- 
ceived much  kindness  while  a  student  of  divinity  in  that  city. 
An  uncommonly  bright,  spirited  boy,  he  early  showed  a  mental 
vigor  and  a  stability  of  character  which  foretokened  the  com- 
ing man.  When  his  father  became  President  of  Dickinson 
College,  Erskine  accompanied  him  to  Carlisle  and  entered  the 
institution  at  an  advanced  standing.  In  the  autumn  of  1822, 
his  eldest  brother,  James,  a  pious  youth  of  remarkable  promise 
and  much  beloved,  died  after  a  brief  illness.  When  the  bier, 
on  which  lay  his  body,  was  taken  up  by  his  companions  to  be 
borne  to  the  grave,  the  heart-stricken  father,  as  by  an  uncon- 
trollable impulse,  spoke :  "  Softly,  young  men,  tread  softly, 
ye  carry  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost!"  The  impression 
produced  by  this  event  was  profound,  and  led  to  a  great 
spiritual  awakening  in  the  College.  Of  the  students  then 
converted,  not  less  than  fifteen  devoted  themselves  to  the 
ministry  of  the  Gospel.  Among  this  number  were  Erskine 
Mason,  George  W.  Bcthune,  and  other  noted  preachers  of 
the  last  generation. 

Graduating  in  1823,  Erskine  Mason  spent  a  large  part  of 
the  next  year  in  studying  theology  under  the  direction  of  his 
cousin,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Duncan  of  Baltimore.  Joining  the 
Middle  class  of  the  Seminary  at  Princeton  in  1825,  he  com- 
pleted his  studies  there.  Licensed  to  preach  by  the  Second 
Presbytery  of  New  York,  and  ordained  on  October  20,  1826, 
by  the  same  Presbytery,  he  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  Schenectady  on  May  3,  1827.  Here  he 
quickly  showed  a  power  in  the  pulpit, —  a  power  of  luminous 
and  deep  thought,  —  which,  to  use  the  words  of  President 
Nott, "  appeared  wonderful  in  so  young  a  man.  He  was  greatly 
beloved  by  his  people,  highly  esteemed  by  the  citizens  gener- 
ally, and  his  removal  from  the  place  was  regretted  by  all,  and 
by  none  more  than  by  the  officers  and  members  of  Union 
College." 


132  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

One  of  the  most  accomplished  ministers  of  that  day  was 
the  Rev.  Matthias  Bruen,  at  once  the  founder  and  first  pastor 
of  the  Bleecker  Street  Presbyterian  Church  in  this  city.  Mr. 
Bruen  died,  lamented  by  good  men  throughout  the  land,  on 
December  6,  1829,  in  the  thirty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  Mr. 
Mason  accepted  a  unanimous  call  to  become  his  successor, 
and  was  installed  on  September  10,  1830.  Here  he  contin- 
ued to  labor,  for  more  than  twenty  years,  to  the  close  of  his 
life.  Dr.  William  Adams,  his  biographer,  thus  refers  to  this 
period  :  — 

The  Bleecker  Street  Church  was  then  quite  above  the  centre  of 
the  cit}'  population,  that  tide  of  removal  and  growth  which  has 
since  made  such  prodigious  advances  scarcel}'  having  commenced. 
An  "  up-town  church,"  however,  afforded  accommodations  and  at- 
tractions to  those  who  soon  began  to  change  their  residence,  and 
such  was  the  abilit}'  displayed  by  the  pastor  in  Bleecker  Street,  that 
it  was  not  long  before  that  church  was  entireh'  filled ;  and  for  man}^ 
years  after  it  occupied  a  position  which  gave  it  pre-eminent  advan- 
tages over  all  other  churches  of  the  same  denomination  in  the  city. 
Nothing  of  opportunit}'  was  lacking  on  the  one  part,  and  nothing 
of  talent,  diligence,  and  success  on  the  other.  The  congregation 
was  large  and  intelligent,  and  everything  encouraged  that  purpose 
which  the  pastor  had  formed  to  devote  himself  to  the  one  thing  of 
studious,  careful,  and  excellent  preparation  for  the  pulpit.  Others 
might  grasp  at  a  different  prize,  and  select  a  different  path,  but  the 
composition  and  delivery  of  good  sermons  was  the  object  for  which 
his  taste,  talent,  and  judgment  of  usefulness  best  qualified  him. 
From  that  occupation  he  never  suffered  himself  to  be  diverted. 
Before  he  had  lost  the  impression  of  one  Sabbath,  he  had  begun 
the  preparation  for  another.  Thus  he  never  lost  the  hcadwa}'  he 
had  gained.  Adhering  to  the  counsel  of  our  great  dramatist, 
"  Stick  to  yom-  journal  course,  the  breach  of  custom 
Is  breach  of  all," 

he  has  left  a  thousand  sermons  —  not  to  speak  now  of  their  intel- 
lectual and  theological  excellences  —  written  entire  in  the  perfection 
of  penmanship,  as  the  proofs  of  the  wise  and  faithful  manner  in 
which  he  occupied  the  pulpit.  .  .  .  Because  of  this  was  he  deficient 
as  a  pastor  ?     Who  of  his  people  ever  knew  a  substantial  sorrow  or 


I 


I 


EKSKINE  MASON.  I33 

necessity  without  bis  presence  and  aid?  Did  age  ever  complain  of 
disrespect,  or  grief  of  bis  want  of  sympathy,  or  suffering  tbat  be 
refused  a  balm?  While  the  pulpit  was  the  throne  of  his  strength, 
who  could  speak,  out  of  it,  more  wisely  than  he  ?  If  he  sometimes 
appeared  to  be  taciturn,  who  shall  forget  that  silence,  in  its  place, 
is  wisdom  as  well  as  speech,  — that  modesty  is  a  beautiful  property 
of  greatness,  and  that  he  talks  to  the  best  purpose  who  sa3s  the 
right  thing  at  the  right  time  and  in  the  right  manner? 

An  anecdote,  related  by  Dr.  Adams,  will  illustrate  the 
effect  of  his  preaching  :  — 

His  preaching  was  argumentative  and  logical.  Commencing 
with  some  obvious  truth,  which  all  would  admit,  he  advanced  step 
by  step,  carrying  one  conviction  after  another  by  a  process  of 
demonstration  which  would  admit  of  no  escape,  till  he  reached  that 
conclusion,  in  the  application  of  which  he  poured  out  the  fulness 
and  fervor  of  his  religious  pathos.  A  distinguished  civilian,  skilled 
in  diplomacy  and  an  adept  in  letters,  invited  once  by  a  friend,  a 
parishioner  of  Dr.  Mason,  to  hear  him  preach,  sat  in  the  corner  of 
the  pew,  at  first  somewhat  listless,  then  alert,  and  following  the 
argument  with  intense  interest,  till  his  countenance  betrayed  the 
emotion  which  was  working  in  his  heart,  exclaimed  on  leaving  the 
church,  "Well,  I  know  not  what  you  who  are  accustomed  to  this 
may  think  ;  as  for  myself,  I  never  heard  such  preaching  before. 
As  Lord  Peterborough  said  to  Fenelon  at  Cambray,  '  If  I  stay 
here  longer,  I  shall  become  a  Christian  in  spite  of  m3"self."' 

Dr.  Mason,  although  retiring  and  reserved  in  his  manners, 
was  still  a  leader  in  the  affairs  of  the  church.  He  took  a 
prominent  and  very  decided  part  in  maintaining  the  New 
School  position  in  the  troubles  that  led  to  the  disruption  of 
1838,  and,  as  a  counsellor  of  his  brethren,  in  the  movements 
that  followed.  Often  a  member,  for  eight  years  he  w^as  the 
stated  clerk  of  the  General  Assembly.  To  use  again  the 
words  of  Dr.  Adams  :  — 

In  the  judicatories  of  the  Church,  he  was  willing  that  others 
should  conduct  the  debate  ;  but  when  the  matter  in  hand  was  be- 
coming involved,  and  perplexity  and  trouble  were  likely  to  ensue. 


134  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

how  often,  like  a  pilot  in  a  difficult  passage,  by  the  introduction  of 
some  resolution,  or  the  suggestion  of  some  amendment,  did  he 
contrive  the  ver}^  relief  which  was  needed,  extricating  the  subject 
from  all  embarrassment,  and  leading  the  minds  of  all  to  an  issue  of 
complete  harmony-.  The  records  of  our  ecclesiastical  bodies  will 
prove  that  this  eulogy  on  the  soundness  of  his  judgment  is  not 
exaggerated  ;  and  when  he  died,  the  general  impression  throughout 
the  Church  was  that  a  standard-bearer  had  fallen. 

Dr.  Mason  was  invited  to  other  important  pulpits  of  the 
denomination,  as  also  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary ;  but  nothing  could  draw  him  away  from 
his  beloved  Bleecker  Street  flock.  In  1846  he  passed  some 
time  abroad.  Until  a  few  months  before  his  death  he  had 
hardly  known  the  meaning  of  ill-health.  He  entered  into 
the  joy  of  his  Lord,  May  14,  1851,  in  the  forty-seventh  year 
of  his  age. 

A  volume  of  his  sermons,  entitled  A  Pastor's  Legacy,  with 
a  memoir  by  his  friend,  Dr.  William  Adams,  was  published 
in  1853 


Knowles  Taylor  (1836-1842)  was  born  at  Middle  Had- 
dam,  Conn.,  on  January  21,  1795.  His  parents,  Colonel  Jer- 
emiah Taylor  and  Lucy  Brainerd  Taylor,  were  members  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  greatly  respected  in  the 
circle  of  their  acquaintance.  He  came  early  to  New  York, 
established  himself  in  business  here,  and  in  1835  ranked 
among  the  leading  merchants  of  the  town.  At  that  time 
he  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Bleecker  Street  Presbyterian 
Church,  which  he  had  helped  to  found,  and  a  w^arm  personal 
friend  of  its  pastor.  Dr.  Erskine  Mason.  All  the  recollec- 
tions of  Knowles  Taylor  which  I  have  been  able  to  obtain, 
whether  furnished  by  those  associated  with  him  in  the  walks 
of  business  or  in  works  of  benevolence,  agree  in  depicting 
him  as  an  admirable  example  of  Christian  excellence,  —  gen- 
erous, whole-souled,  a  true  gentleman,  a  lover  of  good  men. 


KNOWLES    TAYLOR.  135 

and  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  Divine  Master. 
Alike  in  prosperous  days  and  in  days  of  adversity,  at  home 
or  abroad,  he  showed  liimself  a  loyal  disciple  of  Jesus,  and 
abounded  in  the  sweet  charities  of  the  Gospel.  No  one  took 
a  deeper  interest  in  the  great  benevolent  organizations  and 
movements  of  that  day.  He  Avas  one  of  the  founders  and 
almost  from  the  first  had  been  the  treasurer  of  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society.  Years  before,  the  subject  of  edu- 
cation for  the  sacred  ministry  attracted  his  special  attention. 
He  had  contributed  liberally  towards  the  endowment  of  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary  in  Virginia,  and  learned  by  his 
intercourse  with  Dr.  Rice  to  appreciate  the  claims  and  im- 
portance of  such  institutions. 

Largely  by  his  instrumentality,  the  Little  Scholarship  of 
$2,500,  and,  later,  the  New  York  Professorship  of  $20,000,  in 
that  Seminary,  had  been  founded.  The  following  extract  from 
one  of  Dr.  Rice's  letters  to  him,  written  early  in  1828,  will 
throw  light  upon  the  state  and  temper  of  the  times,  and  show 
also  how  his  relation  to  that  great  and  good  man  helped  to 
prepare  him  for  the  part  he  was  to  take,  seven  years  later,  in 
the  founding  of  this  institution. 

I  look  back  to  our  co-operation  in  obtainhig  the  New  York  Pro- 
fessorship with  peculiar  pleasure.  This  pleasure  is  derived  from 
two  sources.  First,  there  is  most  manifest  evidence  of  the  pres- 
ence and  blessing  of  God  in  this  thing.  Who  but  God  could  have 
accomplished  a  work  of  this  sort?  When  I  consider  the  strength 
of  local  prejudices  which  unhappily  prevail  in  our  country,  and  the 
mighty  current  of  feeling  which  had  long  been  running  in  favor  of 
other  objects,  and,  of  course,  the  difficulty  of  exciting  an  interest 
for  a  new  enterprise  of  magnitude,  I  do  not  see  how  any  one  can 
help  exclaiming,  "  See  what  God  hath  wrought !  "  And  it  is  de- 
ligiitful  to  tlie  pious  mind  to  be  engaged  in  a  work  which  is  clearly 
God's.  To  Him  be  all  the  glory !  But,  in  the  next  place,  this 
enterprise  has  offered  a  fine  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  Chris- 
tian friendship.  ,  .  .  When  tlie  heart  is  filled  with  pure,  fervent  fra- 
ternal love,  there  is  a  taste  of  heaven  on  earth.    Yes,  my  brother, 


136  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

we  shall  look  back  with  pleasure  on  the  days  when  we  labored  to- 
gether in  this  field  of  God's  harvest.  .  .  .  When  you  become  an 
old  gray-headed  elder,  and  meet  in  the  General  Assembly  the  men 
who  received  their  education  at  our  Seminary,  and  hear  them  mag- 
nify the  word  of  God,  and  see  that  they  are  sound,  faithful  J^ible 
preachers,  you  will  rejoice  and  bless  God  for  what  you  see  and 
hear.  But  it  is  time  to  tell  you  about  Philadelphia.  .  .  .  Some 
are  not  as  fuU^'  cordial  as  I  could  wish,  because  they  know  that  I 
will  not  be  a  partisan.  One  excellent  ])rother  told  me  that  he  sus- 
pected me  of  being  too  much  of  a  Yankee.  But  I  will  not  turn 
my  course  for  any  suspicions.  I  will  acknowledge  as  brethren 
those  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus,  of  all  parties,  and  I  will  co-operate 
zealously  and  heartily  with  any  who  aim  to  promote  the  truth  as  it 
is  in  Jesus.  Our  Seminary  shall  be  based  on  the  Bible ;  and  we 
will  know  no  isms  there  but  Bibleism.  I  am  sure  that  the  Bible 
will  afford  good  support  to  sound  Presbyterianism,  and  if  it  will 
not,  why,  let  Presbyterianism  go. 

How  much  in  this  letter  applies,  almost  literally,  to  our 
own  early  history !  The  first  formal  meeting  of  those  inter- 
ested in  the  question  of  establishing  a  theological  seminary  in 
New  York,  as  we  have  seen,  was  held  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Taylor,  and  he  presided  over  it.  He  also  served  on  sev- 
eral of  the  committees  of  organization,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  Board  of  Directors.  An  extract  from  a  letter  of  Mrs. 
Thomas  A.  Rich,  of  Boston,  dated  January  4, 1887,  will  not  be 
here  out  of  place. 

In  the  New  YorJc  Observer,  December  16,  1886,  I  read  with 
great  interest  your  address  at  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  especially  your  allusions  to  Knowles  Taylor. 
He  was  my  father.  In  1835  I  was  a  little  girl,  but  well  remember 
seeing  the  chairs  in  our  parlor  for  the  meetings  of  which  you  speak. 
It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  my  father  is  not  entirely  forgotten  ;  and 
if  it  will  not  tax  your  time  too  much,  I  should  be  very  glad  to  hear 
from  you  more  about  him.  I  was  baptized  by  Dr.  Erskine  Ma- 
son, and  taken  by  him,  later,  into  the  membership  of  the  Bleecker 
Street  Church,  while  my  father  was  absent  in  Europe.  I  can  re- 
member how  I  loved  Dr.  Mason  in  his  place. 

In  1869,  it  was  my  privilege  to  aid  in  forming  the  "  "Woman's 


RICHARD    rOWNLEY  HAINES.  137 

Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church," 
in  the  Tremout  Street  Church,  Boston,  I  was  tlie  treasurer  of  the 
society  for  ten  years,  and  its  first  annual  meeting  was  held  in  my 
parlors.  I  was  pleased  to  know  that  I  had  followed,  somewhat,  in 
m}-  father's  steps. 

In  a  letter  dated  a  week  later,  Mrs.  Rich  writes  :  — 

Many  thanks  for  your  quick  response  to  my  note.  I  cannot  add 
much  to  j'our  account  of  m}'  father.  While  travelling  in  his  own 
carriage  through  the  country,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  distributing 
tracts  by  the  roadside,  and  sometimes  in  the  cottage  of  the  laboring 
man,  giving  with  them  a  word  of  cheer  and  encouragement.  When 
his  means  were  but  meagre  compared  with  the  affluence  of  former 
3'ears,  he  would  place  a  five  or  ten  dollar  gold  piece  in  the  hands  of 
those  he  thought  more  need}-  than  himself.  The  New  York  Jour- 
nal of  Commerce,  in  an  editorial  notice,  written  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  thus  refers  to  this  trait :  "  We  remember  him  as  one  of  the 
princely  merchants  of  New  York,  and  as  an  earnest  Christian 
laborer.  He  gave  liberally  of  his  wealth,  and  was  foremost  in 
ever}'  Christian  chai'ity.  Besides  many  large  public  charities,  he 
gave  to  individuals  in  many  ways,  of  which  his  family  knew  noth- 
ing until  after  his  death."  My  father  died  at  Dr.  Howe's  Ferry,  on 
the  Tuolumne  River,  California,  October  7,  1850. 

Richard  Townley  Haines  (1836-1870)  was  born  at  Eliza- 
beth, N.  J.,  May  21,  1795,  and  early  established  himself  in 
business  in  this  city.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  united 
with  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  Garden  Street.  Some 
years  later  he  joined  Henry  White,  then  just  beginning  his 
ministry,  in  building  up  the  Allen  Street  Church,  changing 
his  residence  for  this  purpose  to  East  Broadway.  He  became 
an  elder  of  this  church.  In  1840  he  joined  the  Mercer  Street 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  Dr.  Skinner  was  then  pastor, 
and  in  1845  he  removed  to  his  native  town,  where  he  died, 
August  21,  1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  For  forty-five 
years  he  was  an  active  member,  and  for  twenty-seven  years 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  American  Tract 
Society.      A  man  of   calm,   penetrating,  weighty  judgment, 


138  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

modest  and  unassuming  in  all  his  ways,  he  exerted  an  influ- 
ence for  good  in  his  day  and  generation  which  cannot  easily 
be  measured.  I  have  spoken  in  the  Address  of  his  inestima- 
ble services  to  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  as  one  of  its 
founders,  and  as  a  life-long  Director  and  friend.  In  a  letter 
dated  May  3,  1886,  Mrs.  Haines  thus  refers  to  his  connection 
with  the  Seminary  :  — 

My  own  earliest  recollection  is  of  seeing  him,  while  he  was  as  j'et 
a  stranger  to  me,  watching  the  masons  and  carpenters  at  work  on 
the  old  University  Place  building.  After  my  marriage  I  soon  found 
that  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  White  was  one  of  our  most  frequent  vis- 
itors ;  and  sometimes  he  would  come,  when  his  pale  face  and  whole 
appearance  showed  him  to  be  ill.  Evening  after  evening,  in  our 
sitting  room,  at  37  Clinton  Place,  would  the  two  good  men  talk  over 
together  the  affairs  of  the  Seminary  ;  oftentimes,  with  such  anxious 
countenances  as  to  suggest  the  thought  of  some  heav}'  personal 
trouble.  The  real  trouble  was  "  want  of  money  to  meet  expenses." 
But  I  could  not  share  their  fears.  I  said  God  had  given  them  the 
students  and  the  wonderfully  competent  Professors,  and  surely  He 
would  provide  the  third  factor  of  success.  And  in  what  a  marvel- 
lous way  it  has  so  come  to  pass ! 

The  following  minute  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Haines  will  show 
how  he  was  regarded  by  the  Board  of  Directors :  — 

Mr.  Haines's  connection  with  this  Board  dated  from  the  beginning 
of  its  history.  It  was  owing  in  large  part  to  his  earnest  and  effi- 
cient efforts  that  this  Seminary  was  undertaken.  He  was  one  of 
its  founders,  and  to  the  day  of  his  death  continued  to  be  one  of  its 
most  devoted  friends  and  patrons.  Through  all  the  period  of  its 
financial  embarrassment  and  threatened  extinction,  his  faithful  ser- 
vices and  wise  counsels  were  among  the  most  efficient  means  of 
rescuing  the  institution  from  ruin  and  establishing  it  on  a  firm  foun- 
dation. An  original  member  of  its  Board,  and  one  of  its  corpora- 
tors in  1836,  he  was  chosen  President  of  the  Board  in  1840,  and 
for  a  period  of  thirty  years  was  annually  re-elected  to  the  same 
office,  presiding  over  its  deliberations  with  impartiality,  dignity, 
urbanity,  and  wisdom.  The  Board  take  a  mournful  pleasure  in  re- 
cording their  deep  sense  of  his  great  worth  as  an  enterprising  and 


WILLIAM  M.   HALSTED.  139 

successful  merchant  of  the  strictest  integrity ;  as  a  fellow  citizen  of 
large  and  generous  impulses  ;  as  an  humble,  devout,  and  eminently 
faithful  follower  of  Christ  and  office-bearer  in  tlie  Church  ;  as  a 
liberal  contributor  to  all  good  causes,  and  especially  to  that  of  min- 
isterial education  ;  as  a  projector,  founder,  and  untiring  friend  and 
supporter  of  this  Seminary ;  and  as  an  associate  dearly  beloved 
and  greatly  mourned.  He  rests  from  his  labors  and  his  works  do 
follow  him. 

William  M.  Halsted  (1836-1851)  was  a  native  of  Eliza- 
beth, N.  J.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  a  clerk  in  New 
York ;  at  twenty-one  he  commenced  business,  and  at  thirty- 
one  became  senior  partner  in  the  firm  of  Halsted,  Haines,  & 
Co.  He  soon  came  to  be  known  as  a  trusted  counsellor  in  the 
circles  of  philanthropy  and  religion.  He  was  a  director  of  the 
American  Home  Missionary  Society  and  the  American  Tract 
Society,  a  member  of  the  Assembly's  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, and  an  elder  of  the  University  Place  Presbyterian 
Church.  His  Christian  character  had  uncommon  solidity  and 
strength.  He  seemed  to  be  penetrated  with  a  profound  sense 
of  the  reality  and  saving  power  of  the  Gospel,  and  of  his  own 
duty  as  a  disciple  of  Jesus  to  help  diffuse  its  blessed  influence 
far  and  wide.  Distrustful  of  his  ability  to  perform  this  duty 
by  direct  personal  appeal  or  effort,  he  was  the  more  diligent 
to  do  it  in  other  ways,  particularly  by  the  distribution  of  good 
books.  When  a  volume  struck  him  as  specially  excellent, 
many  copies  of  it  would  go  from  his  hand  to  relatives,  friends, 
or  acquaintances,  wherever  he  hoped  salutary  impressions 
might  be  made.  On  reading  the  Life  of  Dr.  Justin  Edwards, 
for  example,  he  presented  a  copy  to  each  student  in  the  Semi- 
nary ;  and  so  of  the  Life  of  Rev.  Richard  Knill,  and  I  know 
not  how  many  other  works.  At  the  beginning  of  every  year 
he  looked  into  his  income,  and  as  he  judged  to  be  liis  duty  sent 
donations  to  important  objects,  sometimes  committing  funds 
to  the  theological  professors,  the  city  missionary,  or  others,  to 
be  distributed  at  their  discretion.     Although  laid  aside  by  ill- 


140  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

health  during  the  later  years  of  his  life,  his  chamber  was  kept 
bright  and  fragrant  by  devout  exercises,  holy  fellowship,  and 
those  sweet  fruits  of  righteousness  which  are  by  Jesus  Christ 
to  the  praise  and  glory  of  God. 

Mr.  Ilalsted  died  on  November  20,  1863,  in  the  seventy- 
sixth  year  of  his  age. 

Abijah  Fisher  (1836-1859)  was  born  in  1786,  and  spent 
the  most  of  his  life  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn.  Like  Haines 
and  Halsted  and  Otis,  and  so  many  other  men  of  business  in 
his  day,  he  was  a  leader  in  religious  and  evangelistic  work. 
In  his  fine  appearance  and  courtly  manners  he  typified  the 
Christian  gentleman  of  the  old  school.  The  elements  of  his 
character  seemed  to  partake  of  both  the  eighteenth  and  the 
nineteenth  century.  He  was  never  so  happy  as  when  engaged 
in  some  scheme  for  the  benefit  of  others.  For  many  years  he 
sustained  the  office  of  an  elder  in  the  Brick  and  Bleecker  Street 
Presbyterian  Churches,  and  afterward  in  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Brooklyn.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he 
was  chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society,  and  attached  his  official  signature 
to  nearly  every  commission  that  was  given  in  that  long  period. 
I  have  already  spoken  of  him  as  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary.  He  died  at  the  residence  of 
his  son,  in  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  on  May  28,  1868,  in  the  eighty- 
third  year  of  his  age. 

Cornelius  Baker  (1836-1840)  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Seminary,  and  one  of  its  largest  original  donors.  For  the 
following  interesting  sketch  of  tliis  excellent  man  I  am  in- 
debted to  his  eldest  surviving  daughter. 

My  father  was  born  at  Rahway,  N.  J.,  Decetnber  15,  1792. 
When  about  twenty  years  old,  he  came  to  New  York  and  entered 
upon  a  mercantile  career.  In  1826  he  joined  the  Laight  Street 
Church,  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Cox,  D.  D. 


CORNELIUS  BAKER.  141 

Six  3-ears  later,  he  was  persuaded  it  was  his  duty  to  leave  that 
church,  which  was  then  flourishing  and  in  which  he  had  served  as 
deacon  for  some  j-ears,  to  join  others  in  forming  a  new  church, 
which  was  called  "The  Free  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  York." 
Here  he  served  as  an  elder,  Dr.  Joel  Parker  being  the  chosen 
pastor. 

In  1839,  owing  to  reverses  in  business  and  impaired  health,  he  re- 
moved to  New  Jersey,  where  he  lived  for  the  remainder  of  his  days, 
though  after  a  time,  his  health  being  improved,  he  returned  to  ac- 
tive business  in  New  York,  and  retired  onl}-  about  a  year  before  his 
death.  He  went  to  Europe  in  the  summer  of  1867,  whither  some 
of  his  family  had  preceded  him,  in  the  hope  that  the  change  would 
benefit  his  health,  but  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  there  his  strength 
graduall}'  failed  him.  He  reached  Montreux,  Switzerland,  in  the 
autumn  of  1867,  where,  after  rallying  and  relapsing  several  times, 
he  sank  peacefully  asleep  at  the  Hotel  de  Cygne,  on  the  30th  of 
March,  1868,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age.  His  remains 
now  rest  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  at  Clarens,  near  Montreux, 
on  the  slope  of  the  mountain  which  rises  above  the  shores  of  the 
Lake  of  Geneva.  A  suitable  tablet  marks  the  spot  where  his 
body  lies. 

During  all  his  life,  he  was  noted  for  his  uprightness,  his  integ- 
rity, his  large-heartedness  and  benevolence,  and  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life,  for  his  Christian  activit}'  and  readiness  to  assist  in 
schemes  for  the  advancement  of  education.  He  was  a  great  reader, 
and  for  a  man  who  had  not  the  early  advantages  given  to  the 
youth  of  the  present  day  he  was  remarkably  well  informed.  He 
always  kept  abreast  of  the  times,  and  held  advanced  views.  He 
was  a  most  loyal  citizen,  and  was  in  favor  of  the  abolition  of 
slavery  when  it  was  unpopular,  and  not  alwa3's  safe,  to  be  an  Abo- 
litionist, even  in  the  North. 

He  voted  for  Fremont  and  for  Lincoln,  and  was  an  ardent  and 
enthusiastic  Republican  during  the  war.  He  always  felt  that  the 
South  was  wrong,  and  that  the  cause  of  the  North  must  succeed 
in  the  end.  Even  during  the  darkest  days  of  the  war,  he  never 
despaired. 

His  wife  was  Miss  Jenette  Ten  E3-ck  Edgar,  daughter  of  Major 
William  Edgar  of  Edgarton,  N.  J.  They  were  married  earl}'  in 
life,  and  had  thirteen  children,  several  of  whom  died  in  childhood. 
Four  daughters  now  survive  him ;  one  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  John  S. 


142  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Kenned^^  another  the  wife  of  Rev.  A.  F.  Sehauffler,  D.  D.,  and  two 
are  unmarried. 

He  died  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  sad  intelligence 
was  transmitted  by  cable,  and  the  announcement  of  his  death  ap- 
peared in  the  New  York  evening  papers  of  the  same  day,  the  30th 
of  March,  1868.  This  circumstance  attracted  a  good  deal  of  atten- 
tion and  elicited  many  comments  at  the  time,  cable  messages  being 
at  that  time  very  rare,  and  if  not  the  first,  it  was  one  of  the  first 
instances  in  which  the  cable  had  been  used  for  such  a  purpose. 

Joseph  Otis  (1836-1844)  was  born  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  July, 
1768,  and  died  there  early  in  1854,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of 
his  age.  He  was  a  descendant  of  John  Otis,  who  came  with 
his  family  from  Glastonbury  in  the  southwest  part  of  England 
to  Hingham,  Mass.,  as  early  as  1635.  He  came  in  company 
with  his  pastor,  the  Rev.  Peter  Hobart,  a  stanch  Noncon- 
formist, and  twenty-nine  associates,  who  settled  in  the  same 
town.  James  Otis,  "  the  patriot  "  of  the  Revolution,  and  other 
distinguished  Americans  of  the  name  of  Otis,  were  also 
among  his  descendants. 

Joseph  Otis  was  trained  to  commercial  pursuits.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  he  started  for  himself  near  Charleston,  S.  C. 
In  1796  he  established  himself  in  New  York,  and  became  one 
of  its  foremost  men  of  business.  His  position,  integrity,  en- 
terprise, and  success  secured  for  him  universal  respect  and 
confidence.  For  many  years  there  was  scarcely  a  merchant 
of  distinction  in  the  city  with  whom  he  was  not  personally 
acquainted.  About  fifteen  years  before  his  death  he  retired 
to  his  native  town,  where  he  spent  an  honored  and  beautiful 
old  age  in  fulfilling  the  varied  offices  of  a  good  citizen  and  a 
generous,  warm-hearted  disciple  of  Jesus.  The  Otis  Library 
of  Norwich  —  a  public  library  designed  for  rich  and  poor  alike 
—  is  an  enduring  memorial  at  once  of  his  munificence  and 
of  the  wise  judgment  with  which  he  distributed  his  gifts.  A 
benevolent  public  spirit  seems  to  have  marked  the  family.  It 
was  Deacon  Otis  of  New  London,  a  cousin  of  Deacon  Joseph 


JOSEPH  OTIS.  143 

Otis  of  Norwich,  who  some  years  ago  bequeathed  $1,000,000  to 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 
Mr.  Otis's  New  York  life  was  full  of  Christian  usefulness. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Cedar  Street  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  Dr.  J.  B.  Ilomeyn  became  the  first  minister. 
He  took  an  active  part  also  in  establishing  and  building  up 
the  Duane  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  rul- 
ing elder.  With  Davie  Bethune,  Richard  Yarick,  William  Col- 
gate, Ebenezer  Cauldwell,  and  George  P.  Shipman,  he  attended 
the  first  meeting,  held  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Yarick,  to  devise 
and  adopt  measures  for  giving  Sunday  school  instruction. 
He  took  a  very  effective  part  in  the  establishment  of  the 
Seamen's  Friend  Society,  the  Seamen's  Bank  for  Savings,  and 
other  institutions  created  for  the  social  elevation  and  religious 
improvement  of  this  long-neglected  class.  All  those  societies 
which  aim  to  propagate  the  Gospel  throughout  the  world  found 
in  him  a  liberal  and  constant  supporter.  He  watched  their 
growth  with  deep  interest,  and  cheered  his  old  age  with  the 
thought  that  in  the  vigor  of  his  Christian  manhood  he  had 
been  privileged  to  participate  in  the  labors  and  sacrifices 
which  initiated  these  noble  charities. 

It  would  require  a  little  volume  to  give  all  the  details  of 
Mr.  Otis's  benevolence.  In  its  extent  and  in  the  variety 
of  its  objects  it  was  remarkable.  Nor  was  it  confined  to 
great  public  objects.  He  loved  to  do  good  in  ways  unknown 
to  the  world.  His  sympathies  were  as  considerate  as  they 
were  tender  and  generous.  He  specially  delighted  in  giving 
aid  and  comfort  to  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  who  by  reason  of 
meagre  salaries,  ill-health,  or  domestic  troubles,  felt  the  sting 
of  pecuniary  embarrassment.  He  deserved  to  be  called  the 
minister's  friend.  When  he  made  provision  for  a  public 
library  in  his  native  town,  he  also  provided  to  have  a  pastor's 
study  on  the  second  floor  of  the  same  building,  to  be  held  in 
trust  for  the  use  of  the  pastor  of  the  church  of  which  he  died 
a  member.     Later,  he  endowed  a  pastoral  library  as  a  per- 


144  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

manent  fixture  of  the  study.  Many  a  time  did  he  forward  his 
check  to  order,  for  twenty-five,  fifty,  or  a  hundred  dollars,  to 
some  clergyman  at  a  distance  whose  necessities  had  come  to 
his  knowledge.  When  his  last  will  was  opened,  it  was  found 
that  small  sums,  of  from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  were  directed  to  be  paid  to  several  of  his  clerical 
acquaintances.  To  his  own  pastor  he  was  like  a  father,  as 
well  as  friend.  No  wonder  that  his  name  is  familiar  still  as  a 
household  word  in  his  native  town ! 

I  cannot  better  close  this  notice  than  by  giving  an  extract 
from  a  letter  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  D.  D.,  dated 
New  York,  April  24,  1854:  — 

My  acquaintance  with  the  late  Mr.  Joseph  Otis  began  soon 
after  I  came  to  this  city  to  take  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Mercer 
Street  Church,  and  I  continued  to  enjoy  his  society  and  friendship 
until  he  removed  to  Norwich.  Repeatedly'  we  were  companions 
in  travel,  and  residents  together  in  the  same  quiet  and  beautiful 
retreat  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia.  Our  intercourse  with  each 
other  was  intimate  and  confidential,  and  it  has  left  on  me  a  very 
distinct  and  very  agTceable  impression  of  his  individuality  as  a  man 
and  a  Christian.  We  often  talked  of  matters  relating  to  ourselves, 
but  my  memory  as  to  details  in  his  history  does  not  enable  me  to 
give  any  recital  of  them,  or  to  verify  by  reference  to  them  the  esti- 
mate which  I  formed  of  him  from  frequent  conversations  with  him, 
and  especially  from  our  very  pleasant  sojourn  together  during  the 
months  of  one  or  two  summers. 

This  most  worthy  and  amiable  man  outlived  his  generation. 
There  are  few  among  the  living  of  those  who  knew  him  best  in 
the  days  of  his  strength  and  activity.  He  was  for  several  years 
a  member  of  the  same  church  with  the  holy  and  amiable  Elder 
Markoe,  between  whom  and  himself  there  was  a  special  friendship, 
and  in  some  of  the  prominent  traits  of  their  religious  character  a 
degree  of  resemblance.  They  were  both  men  of  a  kind  and  gentle 
spirit,  of  courtesy  of  manners,  of  singular  sincerity  and  purity. 
The  piety  of  both  was  at  the  same  time  deeply  spiritual  and  seri- 
ous, and  yet  remarkably  free  from  every  form  of  moroseness  and 
austerity.  They  adorned  religion  by  a  strict  and  lovely  walk  be- 
fore the  church  and  the  world.     It  was  always  refreshing  to  look 


JOHN  NITCHIE.  145 

on  the  face  of  Mr.  Otis.  It  had  a  benign,  friendh',  affectionate 
aspect,  even  when  his  heart  was  sorrowful,  and  when  his  sorrow 
expressed  itself  in  tears.  And  his  natural  and  gracious  amiability 
was  not  a  weakness,  nor  was  weakness  its  associate.  He  was  a 
man  of  a  penetrating  and  sound  judgment ;  of  sharp  discrimination 
between  true  and  false,  good  and  evil,  whether  in  things  or  persons. 
His  charity  covered  a  multitude  of  sins,  but  it  did  not  cover  hypoc- 
risy or  false  professions.    He  was  unsectarian,  —  a  catholic  indeed, 

—  yet  he  discerned  between  essentials  and  unessentials,  and  had 
no  fellowship  with  the  preachers  of  "another  Gospel." 

With  the  passive  virtues  —  patience,  resignation,  meekness, 
gentleness  —  he  combined  an  aggressive  and  energetic  zeal,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  management  and  labors  of  Christian 
benevolence.  At  the  Salt  Sulphur  Springs  in  Virginia  he  was  the 
means  of  erecting  a  chapel,  in  which  it  was  my  privilege  to  preach 
the  opening  sermon.  His  liberality  was  without  pretension,  but 
it  was  generous,  judicious,  considerate,  and  effective.  He  was  a 
sincere  friend,  a  lover  of  good  men,  a  lover  of  hospitality,  a  Chris- 
tian gentleman.  It  is  a  comfort  to  me  to  recall  the  image  of  this 
lamented  man. 

Although  his  official  connection  with  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  was  early  severed  by  removal  to  Norwnch,  Mr.  Otis 
never  lost  his  interest  in  the  institution.  His  largest  legacy, 
after  that  to  the  Otis  Library,  was  in  its  favor. 

John  Nitchie  (1836-1838)  was  born  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  in  1783.  A  graduate  of  Columbia  College,  he  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  its  practice  when  only  about  twenty 
years  of  age.  For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  South 
Reformed  Dutch  Churcli,  then  worshipping  in  Garden  Street. 
He  was  also  an  elder  of  that  church.  While  engaged  in  his 
profession  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen, 

—  a  real  honor  in  those  days,  —  and  at  the  time  of  the  last 
war  with  Great  Britain  was  particularly  active  in  providing 
the  means  of  defence  by  which  New  York  was  protected  from 
hostile  invasion.  In  1819  Mr.  Nitchie  gave  up  a  full  practice 
and  flattering  prospects  as  a  lawyer,  and  accepted  the  appoint- 

10 


146  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

ment  of  general  agent  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  Later, 
he  became  its  assistant  treasurer,  and  then  its  treasurer.  By 
his  counsels,  contributions,  and  personal  efforts,  he  also  ren- 
dered important  service  to  other  religious  and  humane  insti- 
tutions. He  was  especially  interested  in  Home  Missions ;  and 
from  1809,  when  he  took  part  in  forming  the  Assistant  New 
York  Missionary  Society,  to  his  death,  on  January  3, 1838,  when 
he  was  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society,  he  stood  forth  an  untiring  friend 
and  supporter  of  the  cause.  In  1832,  moving  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  city,  he  connected  himself  with  the  Allen  Street 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  eminently  useful  as  an  acting 
elder  in  it.  In  conjunction  with  his  pastor,  the  Rev.  Henry 
White,  he  took  an  active  part  in  organizing  the  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  He  was  then  a  little  past  fifty,  of  noble 
person,  modest,  gentle,  clear-headed,  of  lively  sensibility,  and 
wholly  devoted  to  Christ  and  the  Church.  On  the  occasion 
of  his  decease,  Dr.  White,  then  a  Professor  in  the  Seminary, 
delivered  a  sermon  entitled  The  Memory  of  the  Just,  which 
contains  a  fine  delineation  of  his  character.  The  following  is 
an  extract  from  this  sermon  :  — 

His  mind  was  capacious  ;  his  views  were  large  and  comprehen- 
sive. His  talents,  however,  were  much  more  of  the  practical  than 
of  the  abstract  kind  ;  he  manifested  little  taste  for  speculation  upon 
abstruse  and  difficult  questions.  He  was  a  wise  and  safe  counsellor  ; 
on  subjects  of  great  interest  he  seldom  made  an  important  mistake. 
It  was  this  that  qualified  him  to  receive  so  extensively  as  he  en- 
jo3'ed  it  the  confidence  of  the  community'  at  large,  and  especially 
of  the  religious  community,  and  that  gave  such  weight  to  his  opin- 
ions in  deliberative  bodies.  It  is  doubted  whether  the  services 
of  any  other  layman  in  our  cit}',  in  connection  with  anj'  important 
object,  were  esteemed  more  valuable  than  his.  He  was  prominently 
engaged  in  devising  and  executing  those  extensive  plans  b}'  which 
the  American  Bible  Society  has  shed  its  benign  influence  throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  our  own  land,  and  into  many  portions  of 
foreign  lands  ;  and  scarce!}'  an}'  valuable  enterprise  was  determined 


FISHER   HOWE.  147 

on,  by  any  of  the  leading  benevolent  institutions  among  us,  witliout 
being  first  submitted  for  his  opinion. 

The  large  and  discriminating  mind  of  Mr.  Nitchie  was  richly 
stored  with  the  treasures  of  information  and  thought.  His  educa- 
tion was  originally  thorough  and  solid ;  he  had  a  great  thirst  for 
knowledge  ;  his  opportunities  were  uncommonly  good,  and  his  ex- 
perience and  observation  were  extensive  ;  and  these,  connected  with 
his  various  reading,  —  particularly  upon  religious  subjects,  and 
most  of  all  the  Bible,  —  furnished  him  with  a  fund  of  important 
information,  altogether  rarely  to  be  met  with.  Plis  knowledge  of 
tlie  Scriptures,  particularly  his  critical  acquaintance  with  the  origi- 
nal language  of  the  New  Testament,  was  probably  more  minute, 
accurate,  and  extensive  than  that  of  almost  any  other  individual, 
layman  or  clergyman,  in  our  community.  .  .  .  Mr.  Nitchie  was 
no  partisan  ;  the  spirit  of  controversy  he  regarded  as  the  great- 
est evil  with  which  the  Church  is  visited  ;  and  he  could  not  be 
prevailed  on  to  take  part  in  contention.  He  was  strictly  "a 
moderate  man,"  opposed  to  the  extremes,  and  especially  to  the 
violence,  of  any  part\'.  His  quick  sense  of  justice,  however, 
led  him  unequivocally  to  condemn  that  spirit  which  of  late  has 
wrought  so  disastrously  in  the  Church,  even  to  her  dismemberment. 
But  while  such  were  his  views,  he  held  them  with  great  liberality 
and  indulgence  toward  his  brethren  of  every  name. 

Fisher  Howe  (1836-1871)  was  born  at  Rochester,  N.  H., 
September  3,  1798,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
November  7,  1871.  After  a  successful  business  career  he  de- 
voted his  later  years  largely  to  favorite  literary  pursuits.  In 
1850  he  travelled  extensively  in  the  East,  and  upon  his 
return  prepared  for  the  press  a  valuable  work,  entitled,  Ori- 
ental and  Sacred  Scenes,  from  Notes  of  Travel  in  Crreece, 
Turkey,  and  Palestine  (New  York,  1854).  The  work  was 
reprinted  the  same  year  in  London,  with  maps  and  colored 
engravings.  Mr.  Howe  also  published  a  very  striking  little 
volume  on  the  True  Site  of  the  Cross,  a  subject  to  which  he 
was  said  to  have  devoted  years  of  study.  It  appeared  just  as 
he  was  dying,  and  his  last  charge  to  his  children  was  that  they 
should  bring  it  to  the  attention  of  Christian  scholars  who  are 


148  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

interested  in  the  topography  of  Bible  lands.  A  new  edition  of 
this  essay  was  issued  in  1888.  It  received  warm  praise  from 
various  quarters.  In  The  Century  magazine  for  November, 
1888,  Mr.  Howe's  devoted  friend  and  aforetime  pastor.  Dr. 
Charles  S.  Robinson,  expresses  the  desire  that  he  may  be  re- 
garded "  as  the  one  who  first  gave  out  the  orderly  argument 
to  establish  what  good  men  now  believe  is  '  the  true  site  of 
Calvary.' " 

Mr.  Howe  was  for  many  years  a  ruling  elder  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Brooklyn.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in 
everything  that  concerned  the  cause  of  the  Divine  Master, 
whether  at  home  or  abroad.  He  rejoiced  in  doing  good  both 
to  the  bodies  and  the  souls  of  men,  and  was  a  true  Christian 
philanthropist.  For  over  a  third  of  a  century  he  served  in 
the  Directory  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  and  should 
be  held  by  it  in  honored  remembrance  as  one  of  its  founders 
and  most  faithful  friends.  He  was  a  man  of  gentle  manners, 
mild  and  considerate  in  his  judgment,  of  a  beautiful  spirit, 
and  a  whole-hearted,  loving  disciple  of  Jesus. 

Pelattah  Perit  (1836-1857)  was  born  in  Norwich,  Conn., 
June  23,  1785.  His  ancestors  were  Huguenots.  In  1798 
he  entered  Yale  College,  and  there  came  under  the  powerful 
religious  influence  of  President  Dwight.  When  his  class 
entered,  only  one  of  its  sixty  or  more  members  avowed  him- 
self to  be  on  the  Lord's  side,  and  that  one  died  before  the  end 
of  the  tliird  year  of  their  course.  In  March,  1802,  a  great 
spiritual  awakening  took  place,  and  on  the  Sabbath  before  the 
Commencement  in  that  year  twenty-four  of  the  graduating 
class  sat  together  at  the  table  of  the  Lord  in  the  college 
church.  Of  this  number  Pelatiah  Perit  was  one.  He  in- 
clined to  study  for  the  ministry,  but,  following  an  early  bent 
received  during  several  years  passed  in  the  home  of  his  mater- 
nal grandfather,  Pelatiah  Webster,  a  prominent  merchant  and 
financier  of  Philadelphia,  he  decided  upon  a  mercantile  career. 


THOMAS  MCA U LEY.  149 

After  a  few  years  he  became  a  member  of  the  eminent  firm  of 
Goodhue  &  Co.,  in  this  city.  Mr.  Perit  was  a  man  of  very 
attractive  personal  qualities,  a  public-spirited  citizen,  warmly 
interested  in  all  forms  of  philanthropic  and  Christian  work, 
and  greatly  esteemed  and  honored  by  the  whole  community. 
From  1853  to  1863  he  was  annually  re-elected  President  of 
the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  was  many  years  presi- 
dent of  the  Seamen's  Bank  for  Savings,  and  filled  positions  of 
importance  in  other  financial  institutions.  He  was  an  officer 
of  the  American  Tract  Society,  the  American  Bible  Society, 
the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  the  Seamen's  Friend 
Society,  the  Seamen's  Retreat  and  Sailor's  Snug  Harbor,  the 
New  York  University,  and  an  active  as  well  as  generous 
friend  of  other  religious,  literary,  charitable,  and  humane  in- 
stitutions of  the  city.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he  was  a 
Director  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary.  The  closing 
days  of  his  life  were  passed  in  New  Haven,  where  he  died, 
March  8,  1864,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age.  The  follow- 
ing extract  from  a  notice  of  his  death  recalls  a  scene  closely 
associated  with  his  memory  :  — 

One  of  the  most  delightful  annual  festivals  in  the  cit;*  was  that 
at  which  he  was  accustomed  to  entertain  the  little  inmates  of  the 
Orphan  Asylum  adjoining  his  beautiful  country  seat  at  Blooming- 
dale.  There,  on  the  breezy  lawn,  would  he  spread  a  feast  of  straw- 
berries and  cream,  and  other  delicacies  of  the  season,  to  which  the 
orphans  were  invited.  It  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  see  Mr.  Perit 
moving  about  among  them,  a  child  himself  in  the  simplicity  of  his 
disposition,  and  overflowing  with  happiness  because  his  little  neigh- 
bors were  happ3\  His  love  of  children,  and  especially  the  unfor- 
tunate and  outcast,  was  boundless  ;  and  nowhere  will  his  death 
cause  a  sincerer  grief  than  in  the  school-rooms  and  the  work-shops 
and  the  play-grounds  attached  to  the  juvenile  institutions  of  the 
city,  to  which  he  came  so  often  a  smiling  and  generous  visitor. 

Thomas  McAuley,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  (1836-1845,)  was  born 
in  1777,  and  graduated  at  Union  College  in  the  class  of  1804. 


150  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

He  served  as  tutor  and  lecturer  in  the  institution  until  1814, 
when  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natu- 
ral Philosophy.  Having  been  licensed  and  ordained  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  he  became,  in  1822,  pastor  of  the  Rutgers  Street 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Of  his  labors 
here  Dr.  Gillett  says :  — 

Rarely  has  any  one  had  more  occasion  to  rejoice  over  a  successful 
pastorate  than  Dr.  McAuley  while  in  charge  of  this  church.  By 
no  means  remarkably  eloquent  or  profound,  he  was  a  man  of  ready 
utterance,  and  from  a  mind  richly  stored  with  Scriptural  knowledge 
and  far  from  lacking  in  the  lore  of  the  scholar  he  poured  forth 
with  the  freshness  and  fervor  of  pastoral  fidelit}'  those  expositions 
of  truth  which  were  at  once  instructive  and  edifying.  The  charms 
of  his  genial  spirit,  racy  humor,  conversational  tact,  and  warm 
S3'mpathy  almost  idolized  him  in  the  hearts  of  his  people.^ 

In  1827  Dr.  McAuley  accepted  a  call  to  the  Tenth  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Philadelphia.  In  1833  he  returned  to  New 
York,  and  was  installed  pastor  of  the  Murray  Street  Presby- 
terian Church,  as  the  successor  to  Dr.  William  D.  Snodgrass. 
Several  years  later,  the  church,  taking  with  it  the  church  edi- 
fice, removed  to  Astor  Place,  where  it  was  generally  known  as 
the  Eighth  Street  Church.  In  1845  Dr.  McAuley  resigned  the 
pastoral  office.  He  died  on  May  11,  1862,  in  the  eighty-sixth 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  scholarly  man,  of  excellent  gifts 
both  as  preacher  and  pastor,  a  model  of  Christian  courtesy 
and  kindness,  and,  until  his  faculties  became  impaired  by  fail- 
ing health  and  old  age,  an  honored  leader  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  eventful  Assembly 
of  1837,  and  no  other  member  surpassed  him  in  wise,  gentle, 
and  Christian  speech.  I  met  him  about  that  time,  and  have 
never  lost  the  impression  made  upon  me  as  a  boy  by  his  affable 
and  gracious  manners. 

Dr.  McAuley  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  one  of  its  first  Directors,  and  for  four  years 

1  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Vol.  II.  p.  245. 


ELIJAH  PORTER   BARROWS.  151 

its  President,  as  also  its  Professor  of  Pastoral  Theology.  He 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  institution,  and  rendered  it,  in  its 
early  years,  varied  and  important  service. 

Henry  Augustus  Rowland,  D.  D.,  (1836-1845,)  was  born 
at  Windsor,  Conn.,  in  1804,  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1833, 
and,  having  studied  theology  at  the  Andover  Seminary,  was 
first  settled  in  the  ministry  at  Fayetteville,  N.  C,  in  1830,  and 
in  1834  became  pastor  of  the  Pearl  Street  Church,  New  York 
City.  In  1843  he  accepted  a  call  to  Honesdale,  Pa.,  and,  after 
laboring  there  for  some  years,  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the 
Park  Presbyterian  Church,  Newark,  N.  J.,  where  he  died  in 
1860.  Dr.  Rowland  was  the  author  of  the  following  works : 
On  the  Common  Maxims  of  Infidelity  (New  York,  1850-52) ; 
The  Path  of  Life  (1851-55)  ;  Light  in  a  Dark  Valley  (1852); 
and  The  Way  of  Peace  (1853).  He  also  published  many  sin- 
gle sermons  and  wrote  a  good  deal  for  the  religious  press. 
He  was  a  man  of  attractive  presence,  genial,  warm-hearted, 
zealous  for  Christian  truth,  and  much  beloved. 

Elijah  Porter  Barrows,  D.D.,  (1836-1837,)  was  born  at 
Mansfield,  Conn.,  January  5,  1807  ;  graduated  at  Yale  Col- 
lege in  1826  ;  was  a  teacher  in  Hartford  for  several  years  ;  in 
1835  became  pastor  of  the  First  Free  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  after  a  short  service  here  accepted 
a  call  to  the  chair  of  Sacred  Literature  in  "Western  Reserve 
College.  In  1853  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  the  Hebrew 
Language  and  Literature  in  Andover  Theological  Seminary. 
Here  he  remained  till  1866.  In  1869-70  he  gave  instruction 
in  Sacred  Literature  in  the  Union  Seminary.  In  1872  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  same  department  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  where 
he  died,  in  1888,  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Dr.  Barrows  contributed  various  articles  to  the  Bihliotheca 
Sacra.     He  also  wrote  A  Memoir  of  Eustin  Juchon  (1852), 


152  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Companion  to  the  Bible  (1869),  and  Sacred  Creography  and 
Antiquities  (1872). 

IcHABOD  S.  Spencer,  D.  D.,  (1836-1849,)  was  born  in 
Rupert,  Vt.,  February  23,  1798.  Graduating  at  Union  Col- 
lege in  1822,  he  became  for  three  years  principal  of  the  Gram- 
mar School  in  Schenectady,  and  then  studied  theology  with 
Rev.  Andrew  Yates,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy  in 
Union  College.  In  1825  he  accepted  a  call  to  be  principal  of 
the  Academy  in  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  where,  as  before  at  Sche- 
nectady, he  gained  high  distinction  as  a  teacher.  Licensed  to 
preach  in  1826,  he  was  installed  two  years  later  over  the 
Congregational  Church  in  Northampton,  Mass.,  as  colleague 
with  the  Rev.  Solomon  Williams.  In  1832  he  accepted  a  call 
to  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  continued  until  his  death,  November  23,  1854.  Dr.  Spen- 
cer was  a  man  of  power,  both  as  a  preacher  and  as  a  writer. 
In  his  widely  circulated  work  entitled,  A  Pastor's  Sketches,  or 
Conversations  with  Anxious  Inquirers  respecting  the  Wag  of 
Salvation,  he  shows  a  knowledge  of  the  human  heart,  a 
spiritual  discernment,  a  sympathy  with  religious  perplexities, 
and  a  skill  in  guiding  troubled  souls  to  Christ,  which  are 
remarkable. 

Dr.  Spencer  was  a  Director  in  the  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary for  thirteen  years,  and  for  four  years  he  served  it  as  Pro- 
fessor Extraordinary  of  Biblical  History.  He  belonged  to  the 
Old  School,  and  partly  for  this  reason,  perhaps,  was  thought 
by  many,  at  least  in  his  later  years,  to  be  hostile  to  the  New 
School  institution.  Referring  once  to  this  impression  in  a 
conversation  with  his  biographer,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sherwood,  he 
declared  it  to  be  entirely  unfounded :  "  I  have  carefully 
watched  the  history  and  workings  of  this  new  Seminary,  and 
while  there  are  things  about  it  that  I  cannot  approve,  yet  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  say  it  turns  out  the  best  preachers  of 
any  seminary  in  the  land.    I  have  assisted  in  the  examination 


CALEB   OLIVER   HALSTED.  153 

and  licensure  of  many  of  its  students,  and  I  have  followed 
and  watched  their  progress  in  the  ministry,  and  I  say  to  you 
they  are  among  the  best  trained,  most  practical  and  success- 
ful preachers  that  we  are  raising  up  in  this  generation." 

Zechariah  Lewis  (1836-1840)  was  born  in  Wilton,  Conn., 
January  1,  1773,  and  died  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  on  November 
14,  1840.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  and  became  a 
Presbyterian  minister,  but,  owing  to  ill4iealth,  early  retired 
from  the  profession.  For  many  years  he  w^as  editor  of  the 
New  York  Commercial  Advertiser.  He  took  an  active  part 
in  some  of  the  most  important  religious  and  benevolent  move- 
ments of  his  time  that  centred  in  New  York.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  City  Tract  Society  and  a  leading  member 
of  the  American  Tract  Society.  Ministerial  education  spe- 
cially interested  him.  From  its  commencement  he  was  a 
director  of  the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary ;  and  his 
name  is  first  on  the  roll  of  lay  Directors  of  the  Union  The- 
ological Seminary.  He  seems  to  have  enjoyed  in  an  un- 
common degree  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  Christian 
community.  His  influence,  both  personal  and  editorial,  was 
of  the  best  kind,  and  he  exerted  it  effectively  in  favor  of  every 
good  cause. 

Caleb  Oliver  Halsted  (1836-1860)  was  a  native  of  New 
Jersey.  He  came  to  New  York  in  early  life,  and  established 
himself  in  business  here.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a 
dry  goods  merchant  in  William  Street.  My  first  acquaint- 
ance with  him  was  in  1852,  when  he  resided  in  Second  Ave- 
nue, near  the  Historical  Society  building.  He  was  then,  and 
continued  until  his  death,  on  October  7,  1860,  president  of 
the  Manhattan  Company.  He  was  a  leading  member  of  the 
University  Place  Church,  of  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Potts  was 
at  that  time  pastor. 

Mr.  Halsted  was  one  of  the  most  devoted,  judicious,  and 


154  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

influential  friends  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  and  his 
interest  in  it  continued  unabated  to  the  last.  I  had  occasion 
to  confer  with  him  repeatedly  on  important  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  institution,  and  remember  well  how  earnestly  and 
wisely  he  sought  its  welfare.  The  following  is  an  extract 
from  a  minute  of  the  Board,  prepared  by  Prof.  Henry  B. 
Smith  :  — 

In  the  death  of  Caleb  O.  Halsted  we  deplore  the  loss  of  a  wise 
counsellor,  a  generous  benefactor,  and  a  steadfast  friend  ;  of  one 
who  was  a  member  of  this  Board  from  its  earliest  organization, 
and  who  always  rendered  efficient  aid  in  carrying  this  Seminary 
successfully  through  all  its  difficulties  and  struggles.  Having 
known  the  deceased  in  his  public  and  private  relations,  we  re- 
joice in  bearing  testimony  to  his  Christian  faithfulness  in  the 
midst  of  the  cares  of  business  ;  to  his  worth  as  a  man  and  as  a 
friend ;  to  his  devotion  to  all  the  great  interests  of  Christ's 
Church ;  and  especially  to  his  constant  zeal  in  promoting  the 
cause  of  Christian  and  ministerial  education. 

Leonard  Corning  (1836-1842)  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn., 
April  30,  1798,  and  died  on  the  25th  of  November,  1844.  He 
established  himself  in  business  in  New  York,  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Pearl  Street  Presby- 
terian Church.  Several  years  previously  to  his  death  he  had 
lived  in  New  Orleans  as  head  of  the  banking  firm  of  L.  Cor- 
ning &  Co.  His  high  standing  in  the  Christian  community 
is  shown  by  his  election  as  one  of  the  first  Directors  of  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary. 

David  Magie,  D.D.,  (1837-1840,)  was  born  in  the  vicinity 
of  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  March  13,  1795.  His  ancestors  were  of 
Scotch  origin,  noted  for  their  solid  virtues,  their  earnest  pi- 
ety, and  their  strong  attachment  to  Presbyterianism,  David 
in  his  boyhood  was  inured  to  the  hardships  of  a  farmer's 
life.  He  had  but  little  chance  for  reading  or  study,  until  his 
conversion,  during  a  great  revival  in  1813,  when  he  resolved 


SELAH  B.    TREAT.  155 

to  devote  himself  to  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel,  His  pastor, 
the  excellent  Dr.  McDowell,  taught  him  Latin,  and  was  his 
wise  counsellor  and  friend.  He  entered  the  Junior  class  in 
the  College  of  New  Jersey  in  the  fall  of  1815.  After  grad- 
uating with  honor,  he  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Princeton,  studied  there  a  year,  spent  two  years  as  a  tutor 
in  the  College,  and  was  then  licensed  to  preach.  On  April 
24,  1821,  he  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Elizabeth.  Here  he  labored  with  zeal, 
fidelity,  and  success  for  the  space  of  nearly  forty-five  years. 
He  died  on  May  10, 1865,  beloved  and  venerated  by  his  people, 
and  by  the  whole  Christian  community. 

Ansel  Doan  Eddy,  D.  D.,  (1837-1856,)  was  born  at  Wil- 
liamstown,  Mass.,  October  15,  1798.  He  graduated  at  Union 
College  in  1817  ;  studied  theology  at  Andover ;  and  was  first 
settled  as  a  pastor  over  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Canan- 
daigua,  N.  Y.  Later  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  still  later  organized  the 
Pai'k  Church  in  that  city.  He  also  labored  as  a  pastor  in 
Chicago  and  Wilmington,  111.,  and  then  at  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y. 
He  died  on  February  7,  1875.  In  1843  Dr.  Eddy  was  elected 
moderator  of  the  General  Assembly.  He  was  a  man  of  fine 
presence,  of  facile  mind,  and  of  varied  gifts. 


Selah  B.  Treat  (1837-1843)  was  born  at  Hartford,  Conn., 
February  19,  1803  ;  graduated  at  Yale  College,  1824  ;  studied 
law  and  practised  at  Penn  Yann,  N.  Y.,  but  decided  to  aban- 
don his  profession  and  devote  himself  to  the  sacred  ministry. 
He  studied  theology  at  Andover,  and  in  1836  was  ordained  as 
pastor  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  in  Newark,  N.  J. ;  in 
1840  he  resigned,  and  became  editor  of  the  Biblical  Reposi- 
tory and  American  Eclectic.  In  1843  he  was  appointed  home 
secretary  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 


156  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

eign  Missions,  in  which  office  he  continued  until  his  death, 
March  28,  1877.  For  the  following  sketch  of  his  character 
I  am  indebted  to  the  Rev.  Alexander  McKenzie,  D.  D,,  of 
Cambridge,  Mass. :  — 

Mr.  Treat  is  best  known  in  his  relations  with  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  in  which  he  filled 
the  office  of  Home  Secretary  for  many  years.  He  was  admirably 
fitted  for  the  place  and  its  varied  duties.  The  breadth  of  his  mind, 
his  calm  judgment,  his  exact  thinking  and  precise  speaking,  with 
his  knowledge  of  men  and  of  affairs,  qualified  him  for  the  large 
trust  which  was  committed  to  him.  His  legal  training  and  prac- 
tice were  of  service  in  this  work.  He  held  the  ample  confidence 
of  men.  He  was  not  lavish  of  praise,  but  he  liked  to  commend 
that  which  he  approved,  and  was  read}'  to  enrich  his  favor  with 
wise  counsel.  Those  who  were  not  quickly  drawn  to  him  by  a 
warmth  of  manner,  learned  to  esteem  the  sincerity  of  his  friendship 
and  to  value  the  honestj'  of  its  expression.  He  was  a  man  of 
strength,  of  fidelity,  of  large  usefulness,  and  his  name  is  held  in 
honor  by  all  who  knew  him. 


Samuel  Hanson  Cox,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  (1837-1873,)  was 
born  at  Rahway,  N.  J.,  August  25,  1793,  His  parents,  whose 
memory  he  never  ceased  tenderly  to  cherish,  belonged  to  the 
Society  of  Friends,  and  he  was  trained  up  in  its  principles. 
But  while  a  student  of  law  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  he  passed 
through  severe  struggles  of  mind  on  the  subject  of  religion, 
and  at  length,  in  September,  1813,  renounced  Quakerism,  was 
baptized,  and  united  with  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of 
that  place.  Soon  after,  he  gave  up  the  study  of  law  for  that 
of  divinity,  and  in  October,  1816,  was  licensed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  New  York  to  preach  the  Gospel. 

Soon  after  his  licensure  Mr,  Cox  was  recommended  for  em- 
ployment in  the  service  of  the  Young  Men's  Missionary  Society 
of  New  York,  a  strong  association  composed  of  young  men 
from  all  the  Evangelical  churches  of  the  city.  Some  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  society,  however,  strenuously  opposed 


SAMUEL   HANSON  COX.  157 

his  appointment,  on  the  ground  of  unsoundness  in  the  faith  ; 
and  after  sharp  and  prolonged  discussion  he  was  rejected  bj  a 
decided  vote.  Thereupon  the  minority,  led  by  the  pastor  of 
the  Brick  Church,  the  Rev.  Gardiner  Spring,  D.  D.,  proceeded 
at  once  to  organize  a  new  society,  —  the  New  York  Evan- 
gelical Missionary  Society  of  Young  Men.  This  incident  had 
so  important  a  bearing,  not  only  on  the  future  career  of  Mr. 
Cox,  but  upon  missionary  policy  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  it  throws  so  much  light  upon  the  state  of  theological 
opinion  at  the  time,  that  I  cannot  help  quoting  the  following 
passages  from  the  defence  of  their  action  by  the  minority, 
written  apparently  by  Dr.  Spring. 

An  event  of  so  much  notoriet}'  as  the  secession  of  more  than  one 
hundred  young  men  from  an  institution  whose  professed  object  is 
the  propagation  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  cannot,  at  first  view, 
be  regarded  but  with  sentiments  of  regret.  At  an  age  of  the  world 
when  the  A'arious  denominations  of  Christendom  begin  to  feel  that 
they  have  attached  too  much  importance  to  the  things  in  which 
they  differ,  and  not  enough  to  those  in  which  they  agree,  —  when 
the  dissemination  of  the  Gospel  is  the  great  and  common  cause 
whicli  unites  the  affections,  the  pra3-ers,  and  the  exertions  of  the 
great  family  of  beUevers,  and  in  the  promotion  of  which  they 
already-  begin  to  find  a  grave  for  their  part}'  spirit  and  sectarian 
prejudices, — nothing  but  considerations  of  commanding  influence 
can  justify  a  disjunction  of  missionary  labors.  Charit}^  suffereth 
long  ;  but  there  is  a  point  beyond  which  Christian  forbearance  can- 
not be  extended,  and  when  the  wisdom  that  cometh  from  above 
demands  a  struggle,  not  onh*  to  extend  the  Redeemer's  kingdom 
abroad,  but  to  maintain  its  independence  at  home. 

Considerations  of  this  imperative  character  did  exist,  and  led  to 
the  organization  of  this  infant  institution.  The  name  of  Mr.  Cox 
was  mentioned  with  diffidence  and  solicitude.  No  objection  was 
made  to  his  talents  or  piety.  It  was  too  well  known  to  be  dis- 
puted, that,  in  both  these  particulars,  he  enjoyed  no  small  share  of 
public  confidence.  The  majority  of  the  committee  had,  however, 
unhappily  associated  with  the  name  of  Mr.  Cox  certain  religious 
sentiments  which  they  deemed  unsound,  and  which  they  supposed 
to  be  inconsistent  with  the  character  of  a  useful  missionary.     It 


158  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

was  not  to  be  concealed  that,  in  the  great  outlines  of  truth,  his 
views  accorded  rather  with  those  entertained  b}'  Calvin,  Edwards, 
Bellamy,  Scott,  Smalley,  Dwight,  Pierce,  Ryland,  Fuller,  and  in- 
deed with  the  great  body  of  the  Christian  world  in  this  period 
of  enlightened  piet}',  than  with  the  incoherent  and  unintelligible 
dogmas  with  which  local  intolerance  seems  resolved  to  burden 
the  Church  of  Christ.  If  not  to  believe  that  we  actually  sinned 
in  Eden  six  thousand  years  before  we  were  born  ;  if  not  to  believe 
that  the  inability  of  the  unregeuerate  to  comply'  with  the  terms  of 
salvation  is  the  same  as  their  inability  to  pluck  the  sun  from  his 
orbit ;  if  not  to  believe  that  the  depravity  of  man  destroys  his  ac- 
countability ;  if  not  to  believe  that  the  atonement  is  made  exclu- 
sively for  the  elect ;  if  not  to  believe  that  the  elect  are  invested 
with  a  title  to  eternal  life  on  principles  of  distributive  justice, 
while  destitute  of  z-enewing  and  sanctifying  grace  ;  if  not  to  believe 
that  the  Christian's  love  of  God  is  founded  in  selfishness  as  com- 
pletely as  the  miser's  love  of  gold  ;  —  if  want  of  assent  to  these  re- 
pulsive notions  disqualifies  a  man  for  the  missionar}-  service,  then 
doubtless  Mr.  Cox  is  disqualified.  But  if  a  cordial  adherence  to 
the  truth  that  through  the  sin  of  Adam  all  mankind  are  sinners 
from  the  first  moment  of  their  own  existence  ;  that  the  inability  of 
the  unregenerate,  though  absolute,  inculpates  rather  than  excuses 
them  ;  that,  notwithstanding  his  apostasy,  man  is  still  a  free  agent, 
and  accountable  for  his  character  ;  that  the  atonement  is  unlimited 
in  its  nature,  and  limited  only  in  its  application  ;  that  the  salvation 
of  the  elect  is  not  of  debt,  but  of  grace  ;  that  all  holj'  aflTection, 
though  caused  b}'  the  Divine  Spirit,  is  founded  on  the  Divine  excel- 
lence rather  than  the  Divine  favor ;  —  if  a  firm  belief  and  cordial 
reception  of  these  glorious  truths  qualifies  a  man  for  the  ministry 
of  reconciliation,  then  the  rainorit}'  have  every  reason  to  concur 
in  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  York  that 
Mr,  Cox  is  qualified. 

On  July  1,  1817,  he  was  ordained  and  installed  as  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Mendham,  N.  J.  In  1820  he 
accepted  a  call  to  the  Spring  Street  Church  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  where  he  was  installed  in  December  of  that  year. 
A  new  house  of  worship  having  been  erected  on  the  corner  of 
Laight  and  Varick  Streets,  the  larger  part  of  the  congregation 
removed  there  with  their  pastor  in  1825,  and  were  afterwards 


SAMUEL   HANSON  COX.  159 

known  as  the  Laight  Street  rrcsbjterian  Clmrcli.  In  1834 
Dr.  Cox  was  called  to  the  Auburn  Theological  vSeminary,  as 
Professor  of  Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Pastoral  Theology.  In  1837 
he  became  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.  Here  he  remained  for  seventeen  years,  laboring 
with  eminent  success,  and  taking  a  leading  part  in  religious 
and  ecclesiastical  affairs.  He  twice  visited  Europe,  —  in 
1833,  and  again  in  1846.  In  1854,  owing  to  the  failure  of 
his  voice,  he  resigned  his  charge,  and  moved  to  Oswego. 
The  closing  years  of  his  life  were  passed  in  retirement  at 
Bronxville,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  on  October  2,  1880,  in  the 
eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Cox  was  a  most  interesting  and  remarkable  man. 
There  were  times  when  his  eloquence  and  the  grandeur  of 
his  thoughts  carried  captive  all  who  heard  him.  Had  his 
judgment  equalled  his  other  mental  forces,  he  would  have 
been  one  of  the  yery  first  of  American  preachers  and  theo- 
logians. His  intellect  was  charged  with  vital  energy,  and 
disported  itself  in  endless  coruscations  of  wit  and  fancy. 
What  could  be  finer  than  the  exordium  of  his  speech  at  the 
anniversary  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  in  May, 
1833  ?  Reaching  London  as  a  delegate  from  the  American 
Bible  Society  at  the  last  moment,  he  had  entered  Exeter  Hall 
after  the  meeting  was  begun,  and  in  the  midst  of  an  address 
which  bitterly  denounced  American  slavery.  He  was  an- 
nounced as  the  next  speaker,  and  instantly  took  possession  of 
the  audience.  His  personal  appearance  was  highly  attractive  : 
his  face  beamed  with  intellectual  radiance,  and  the  first  words 
he  uttered  riveted  the  attention  of  the  vast  assembly  :  — 

My  lord,  twenty  days  ago  I  was  taken  by  the  tug  "trercnles" 
from  the  quay  in  New  York  to  the  good  ship  "  Samson,"  lying  in 
the  stream.  Thus,  my  lord,  —  going  from  strength  to  strength, 
from  mythology  to  Scripture,  —  by  the  good  hand  of  the  Lord  I 
was  brought  to  your  shores  just  in  time  to  reach  this  house,  and 
to  enter  in  the  midst  of  the  denunciations  of  my  beloved  coun- 


160  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

tiy  that  have  fallen  from  the  lips  of  the  gentleman  who  just 
sat  down.  He  has  reproached  that  country  for  the  existence  of 
slavery,  which  I  abhor  as  much  as  he.  But  he  did  not  tell  you 
that,  when  we  revolted  from  your  government,  one  of  the  rea- 
sons alleged  was  the  fact  that  your  King  had  forced  that  odious 
institution  upon  us  in  spite  of  our  remonstrances,  and  that  the 
original  sin  rests  with  you  and  your  fathers.  .  .  .  And  now,  my 
lord,  instead  of  indulging  in  mutual  reproaches,  I  propose  that  the 
gentleman  shall  be  Shem  and  I  will  be  Japheth,  and,  taking  the 
mantle  of  charity,  we  will  walk  backward  and  cover  the  nakedness 
of  our  common  ancestor. 

In  tlie  circle  of  his  ministerial  brethren,  whom  he  esteemed 
and  loved,  Dr.  Cox  seemed  always  to  be  in  the  happiest  mood. 
His  talk  and  his  manner  were  equally  delightful.  To  meet 
him  in  the  famous  "  Chi  Alpha,"  which  he  founded  and  which 
was  so  dear  to  his  heart,  or  to  see  and  hear  him  in  the 
society  of  Albert  Barnes,  William  Patton,  Thomas  H.  Skinner, 
William  Adams,  and  other  old  friends  who  had  stood  by  his 
side  in  the  sharp  conflicts  of  1836,  1837,  and  1838,  was  worth 
journeying  a  thousand  miles.  He  had  all  the  simplicity  and 
artless  ways  of  a  child ;  and  yet,  in  standing  up  for  what  he 
regarded  as  the  claims  of  truth  and  duty,  he  showed  himself 
every  inch  a  man,  without  fear  or  favor.  In  1834  his  advo- 
cacy of  the  cause  of  the  negro  exposed  him  to  the  rage  and 
violence  of  a  pro-slavery  mob.  He  may  not  have  spoken 
always  with  prudence,  but  he  always  spoke  out  of  a  heart 
glowing  wdtli  the  love  of  freedom  and  justice.  He  had  re- 
nounced the  religious  doctrine  and  customs  of  the  Friends, 
but  the  spirit  of  humanity,  wliich  impelled  the  followers  of 
George  Fox  to  bear  such  faithful  witness  against  social  evil 
and  wrongdoing,  was  strong  within  him,  and  found  constant 
expression  in  the  pulpit,  on  the  platform,  and  in  the  daily 
intercourse  of  life. 

Dr.  Cox  had  a  singularly  retentive  memory,  and  would  often 
recite  page  after  page  from  the  writings  of  Cowper,  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  and  other  favorite  poets,  equally  to  the  wonder  and 


SAMUEL   HANSON   COX.  161 

delight  of  his  friends.  He  was  aii  accomplished  Latin  scholar, 
spoke  the  language  with  fluency,  and  was  as  fond  of  interlard- 
ing what  he  wrote  with  Latin  phrases  and  quotations,  as  old 
Burton  in  his  "  Anatomy  of  Melancholy."  His  sympathies 
and  antipathies  were  exceedingly  strong,  in  relation  both  to 
opinions  and  to  authors  and  their  works.  Among  theologians 
Calvin  and  Edwards  were  the  objects  of  his  unbounded  admi- 
ration ;  and  but  few  ministers  in  the  country,  probably,  were 
so  familiar  with  the  writings  of  the  former  in  the  original 
Latin  as  Dr.  Cox.  His  "  Interview  "  with  Dr.  Chalmers,  for 
whom  his  admiration  was  also  very  great,  contains  a  striking 
illustration  of  his  minute  acquaintance  with  Calvin.  On  such 
subjects  as  High-Church  Episcopacy,  the  Exscinding  Acts  of 
1837,  and  Hopkinsianism,  —  not  to  mention  others, —  he  could 
hardly  retain  his  speech  within  reasonable  limits.  His  im- 
pulses were  very  quick,  sometimes  erratic,  and  not  infrequently 
found  vent  in  extravagant  words ;  but  back  of  them  all  and 
beneath  them  all  was  a  heart  glowing  with  the  piety  and  chari- 
ties of  the  Gospel.  Dr.  Cox's  chief  productions  were,  Quaker- 
ism not  Christianity,  or  Reasons  for  Renouncing  tlie  Doctrine 
of  Friends,  —  a  large  volume  of  nearly  seven  hundred  pages, 
published  in  1833 ;  and  Interviews,  Memorable  and  Useful, 
from  Diary  and  Memory  reproduced,  published  in  1853. 
Both  works  are  characteristic  at  once  of  his  strength  and 
his  weakness.  A  copy  of  the  former,  which  he  sent  me  at 
Now  Bedford  from  "  Rusurban,"  nearly  forty  years  ago,  I 
still  keep  in  memory  of  his  long  and  faithful  friendship. 

For  thirty-six  years  Dr.  Cox  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary.  He  served 
on  many  important  committees,  and  exerted  no  small  influ- 
ence in  shaping  and  giving  character  to  the  institution.  In 
its  darkest  days  he  was  always  full  of  hope  and  good  cheer. 
Although  not  one  of  its  founders,  he  was  an  intimate  friend 
of  most  of  the  founders,  and  in  full  sympathy  with  its  spirit 
and  design.  For  several  years  he  acted  as  Professor  Extraor- 
11 


162  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

dinary  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History.  This  depart- 
ment of  instruction  afforded  ample  scope  for  his  multifarious 
learning  and  his  characteristic  powers  of  memory  and  of 
fresh,  stimulating  thought.  The  service,  too,  was  a  labor  of 
love,  for  he  received  no  pay.  In  a  letter  to  Professor  Smith, 
dated  November  18,  1850,  he  thus  refers  to  some  lectures  on 
Church  History  which  he  was  then  delivering;  — 

We  are  glad  you  are  coming,  especially  I,  3'our  2^^'0  hac  vice 
locum  tenens.  I  have  endeavored  only  to  herald  you  and  prepare 
the  way  before  you  by  outline  and  generality,  not  ambiguity,  re- 
specting the  grand  vertebral  column  of  history,  its  osteology,  and 
loca  major  a.  The  students  have  been  very  attentive,  and  I  have 
endeavored  to  affect  them  with  a  sense  of  the  sine  qua  non  impor- 
tance to  ministers  of  its  thorough  and  scientific  acquisition.  Dr. 
Skinner  has  condemned  himself  to  be  one  of  m}-  hearers  at  every 
lecture.  I  go  on  the  principle  that  premises  must  be  before  induc- 
tions, and  hence  that,  without  knowing  facts,  dates,  places,  men, 
relations,  and  some  circumstances,  thej'  are  not  prepared  for  phi- 
losophizing as  historians.  Hence  I  teach  them  the  elements,  the 
what,  where,  when,  who,  why,  how,  and  the  connections,  con- 
sequences, antecedents,  and  motives,  as  well  as  we  can  know 
them,  in  order  to  their  masterly  use  of  them  in  their  subsequent 
lucubrations. 

I  remember  hearing  one  of  Dr.  Cox's  lectures  on  Biblical 
history.  It  was  delivered  in  the  vestry  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  Brooklyn,  the  class  crossing  the  river  to 
meet  him  there.  On  the  walls  of  the  room  hung  maps  and 
diagrams  for  illustration.  He  spoke  without  notes.  His 
lecture  was  absolutely  unique ;  nor  was  there,  probably,  an- 
other man  in  the  United  States  who  coidd  have  delivered  it. 
If  not  exactly  scientific,  it  yet  showed  a  scholarly  enthusiasm 
and  a  grasp  of  the  significance  of  very  ancient  history,  not 
common  in  that  day.  I  say  "  very  ancient,"  for  his  subject 
carried  him  far  back  toward  the  beginning  of  the  human  race. 
He  unfolded  and  illustrated  its  varied  aspects  in  a  very  won- 
derful manner.     In  recallina;  this  lecture  I  am  reminded  of 


ANSOy  G  RE  EXE   PHELPS.  163 

another  on  early  Old  Testament  history  which  I  once  heard 
from  the  celebrated  Professor  Gorres  of  Munich,  also  a  man 
of  brilliant  but  eccentric  genius.  He  too,  like  Dr.  Cox,  went 
back  to  the  days  when  there  were  giants  in  the  earth,  and 
found  at  work  in  them,  as  he  thought,  the  same  laws  and 
spiritual  forces  that  control  the  great  movements  of  society 
in  our  own  age. 

Anson  Greene  Phelps  (1838-1853)  was  born  at  Sims- 
bury,  Conn.,  March  27,  1781.  His  father  served  in  the  army 
throughout  the  Revolutionary  war,  much  of  the  time  as  an 
officer  under  General  Greene,  after  whom  Anson  was  named. 
His  father  died  soon  after  his  birth,  and  at  eleven  years  of  age 
he  lost  his  mother,  a  woman  of  rare  piety  and  excellence, 
whose  memory  he  cherislied  to  old  age  with  tender  affection 
and  reverence.  On  the  death  of  his  mother  he  went  to  live 
with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Utley,  with  whom  he  remained  a  number 
of  years,  learning  a  trade.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  during  a 
powerful  awakening  under  the  preaching  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hal- 
lock,  he  was  converted,  and,  removing  soon  after  to  Hartford, 
united  with  the  church  of  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Strong,  one  of 
the  most  eminent  divines  of  the  day,  was  then  pastor.  About 
1815  he  established  himself  in  business  in  this  city,  joining 
the  Brick  Church,  of  which  he  was  for  many  years  an  efficient 
elder.  Later,  he  filled  the  same  office  in  the  Mercer  Street 
Presbyterian  Church.  His  life  in  New  York  was  identified 
with  its  commercial  and  religious  history.  He  died,  November 
30,  1853,  in  the  seventy- third  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Phelps  was  a  man  of  very  strong,  original,  and  marked 
character.  Self-reliance,  an  iron  will,  solid  judgment,  a  saga- 
cious power  of  combination  and  forecast,  indomitable  perse- 
verance, shrewd  common  sense,  a  physical  constitution  capable 
of  immense  labor  and  endurance,  —  these  were  among  his  lead- 
ing traits.  But  he  possessed  others  of  a  gentler  nature,  and 
all  of  them  were  tempered  and  restrained  by  earnest  religious 


164  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

principles.  He  was  a  genuine  Christian  philanthropist  of  the 
most  catholic  type.  The  interests  of  the  colored  race,  both  in 
this  country  and  in  Africa,  were  especially  near  his  lieart.  The 
great  evangelistic  movements  of  the  age,  whether  at  home 
or  abroad,  had  in  him  one  of  their  most  devoted  and  liberal 
friends.  He  used  to  thank  God  for  the  privilege  of  living  in 
such  a  glorious  day.  The  Union  Theological  Seminary  has 
reason  to  cherish  his  memory,  not  only  as  one  of  its  early 
Directors  and  patrons,  but  also  as  the  first  of  a  whole  family 
circle  of  Directors  and  benefactors  extending  now  to  the  third 
generation. 

Rev.  Albert  Barnes  (1840-1870)  was  born  at  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  December  1,  1798.  Having  pursued  his  preparatory 
studies  at  Fairfield  Academy,  Connecticut,  he  entered  the 
Senior  class  of  Hamilton  College,  and  graduated  there  in 
July,  1820.  He  early  imbibed  sceptical  sentiments,  and  in- 
tended to  devote  himself  to  the  legal  profession.  The  reading 
of  Dr.  Chalmers's  famous  article  on  the  evidences  of  Chris- 
tianity overcame  his  doubts ;  and  not  long  after,  he  passed 
through  a  religious  crisis  which  issued  in  a  purpose  to  study 
for  the  sacred  ministry.  He  went  through  a  four  years'  course 
in  the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  and  on  February  8, 
1825,  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Morristown,  N.  J. 

Five  years  later  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Philadelphia  as  successor  to  the  Rev.  James  Patriot 
Wilson,  D.  D.,  and  was  installed  on  June  25,  1830.  Referring 
to  this  period,  nearly  thirty  years  later,  he  says  :  — 

I  came  here  a  3'oung  man,  with  but  little  experience,  with  no 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  manner  and  habits  of  a  great  city, 
and  with  no  such  reputation  as  to  make  success  certain.  I  never 
preached  before  the  congregation  when  I  was  called  to  be  its  pas- 
tor. I  came  at  that  early  period  of  life,  and  with  that  want  of  ex- 
perience, to  succeed  the  most  learned,  able,  and  eloquent  preacher 


ALBERT  BARNES.  165 

ill  the  Presbj-terian  Church ;  a  man  occupying  a  position  in  this 
communitj-  which  no  other  man  occupied  ;  a  man  whose  opinions 
secured  a  degree  of  respect  which  few  men  have  ever  been  able  to 
secure.  I  came  to  take  charge  of  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
influential  congregations  in  the  land.  I  came  when  I  was  full}' 
apprised  that  I  must  encounter  from  without  a  most  decided  and 
formidable  opposition  to  the  views  which  I  had  cherished,  and 
to  the  doctrines  which  I  had  expressed.  I  found  my  venerable 
predecessor  alread}',  by  anticipation,  my  friend.  He  defended 
my  views.  He  indorsed  my  opinions.  He  exerted  his  great  influ- 
ence in  the  congregation  in  my  favor,  commending  me  in  every 
way  b\'  his  pen  and  his  counsel  to  the  confidence  and  affection  of 
the  people  to  whom  he  had  so  long  ministered.  For  six  months, 
the  time  during  which  he  lived  after  I  became  the  pastor  of  the 
church,  he  was  my  friend,  my  counsellor,  my  adviser,  my  exam- 
ple ;  he  did  all  that  could  be  done  hy  man  to  make  my  ministry 
here  useful  and  happj-. 

For  more  than  a  third  of  a  century  Mr.  Barnes  continued  to 
labor  in  the  First  Church  with  extraordinary  zeal,  fidelity,  and 
success.  It  would  be  hard  to  say  whether  his  diligence  were 
greatest  in  the  pulpit  or  in  the  use  of  the  pen.  He  w^as  truly 
a  marvel  of  industry.  To  this,  under  God,  he  ascribes  all  his 
success  in  life.  "  I  had  nothing  else  to  depend  on  but  this.  I 
had  no  capital  when  I  began  life  ;  I  had  no  powerful  patron- 
age to  help  me  ;  I  had  no  natural  endowments,  as  I  believe 
that  no  man  has,  that  could  supply  the  place  of  industry  ;  and 
it  is  not  improper  here  to  say,  that  all  that  I  have  beer  able 
to  do  in  this  world  has  been  the  result  of  habits  of  industry 
which  began  early  in  life,  which  were  commended  to  me  by 
the  example  of  a  venerated  father,  and  which  have  been  and 
are  an  abiding  source  of  enjoyment.  .  ,  .  Whatever  I  have 
accomplished  in  the  way  of  commentary  on  the  Scriptures  is 
to  be  traced  to  the  fact  of  rising  at  four  in  the  morning,  and 
to  the  time  thus  secured  which  I  thought  might  properly  be 
employed  in  a  work  not  immediately  connected  with  my  pas- 
toral labors.  Tliat  habit  I  have  pursued  now  for  many  years  ; 
rather,  as  far  as  my  conscience  advises  me  on  the  subject, 


166  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

because  I  loved  the  work  itself  than  from  any  idea  of  gain  or 
of  reputation,  or,  indeed,  from  any  definite  plan  as  to  the  work 
itself."  All  his  commentaries  on  the  Scriptures  were  written 
between  four  and  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Mr.  Barnes's  name  will  always  be  associated  with  a  very 
eventful  chapter  in  the  history  of  American  Presbyterianism. 
His  trial  for  heresy,  his  suspension  from  the  exercise  of  the 
ministerial  office  by  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  in  1835,  and 
the  reversal  of  the  action  of  the  Synod  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  1836,  were  events  closely  connected  with  the  great 
disruption  of  1838.  Other  causes,  both  ecclesiastical  and  sec- 
tional, conspired  to  produce  the  result;  but  so  far  as  it  grew 
out  of  doctrinal  differences,  Mr.  Barnes  more  than  any  other 
man  represented  the  New  School  side.  His  temper  and  con- 
duct were  admirable ;  amidst  all  the  bitter  and  irritating 
experiences  which  he  passed  through,  from  the  moment  of 
receiving  the  call  to  Philadelphia  until  restored  to  his  pul- 
pit by  the  General  Assembly  in  1886,  he  bore  himself  with 
a  quiet  dignity,  courage,  meekness,  and  fidelity  to  his  con- 
victions befitting  the  Christian  sage.  After  the  division  he 
was  universally  recognized  as  a  foremost  leader  of  the  New 
School  branch.  It  trusted  his  counsels,  and  in  1851  chose 
him  moderator  of  the  General  Assembly.  Not  a  little  of  what 
was  best  in  its  history  it  owed  to  him.  His  influence  helped 
largely  to  mould  its  antislavery  sentiment,  its  strong  position 
in  favor  of  temperance  reform,  its  theological  temper  and  be- 
lief,—  in  a  word,  its  whole  spirit  and  character  as  a  church. 
Mr.  Barnes's  influence  as  a  Christian  teacher  and  philanthro- 
pist was  also  widely  felt  by  other  denominations  throughout 
the  country.  In  his  day  and  generation  he  ranked,  like  his 
illustrious  contemporary,  Dr.  Channing,  among  the  moral  in- 
structors of  the  American  people.  Honorary  degrees  of  D.  D. 
and  LL.  D.  were  conferred  upon  him  in  token  of  the  general 
esteem ;  but  his  modesty,  if  not  his  conscience,  led  him  in 
every  instance  to  decline  their  use.     He  was  still  known,  and 


ALBERT  BARNES.  167 

will  be  known  in  coming  time,  simply  as  Albert  Barnes.  Ilis 
active  ministry  in  Philadelphia  continued  unbroken  until  1867, 
when,  owing  to  a  failure  of  sight,  he  resigned  his  charge,  and 
was  made  Pastor  Emeritus.  But  he  delighted  to  preach  still, 
which  he  did  often  in  the  House  of  Refuge,  of  which  he  was 
a  manager.  On  the  24th  of  December,  1870,  he  passed  sud- 
denly to  his  eternal  rest.  It  was  a  blustering  winter's  day, 
and  he  walked  a  mile  to  visit  a  bereaved  family,  but  had 
scarcely  seated  himself,  when,  falling  back  in  his  chair,  he 
expired  without  a  groan.  The  feeling  excited  by  his  depart- 
ure is  well  expressed  in  a  letter  of  Dr.  Skinner,  who,  a  few 
weeks  later,  followed  him  to  a  better  world :  — 

You  doubtless  know  that  I  was  at  the  funeral  of  Albert  Barnes. 
Brother,  I  was  never  present  at  such  obsequies.  I  never  took  part 
in  carrying  a  man  like  Brother  Barnes  to  his  burial.  He  has  not 
left  his  equal  among  us.  He  is  the  object  of  my  profound  admira- 
tion. What  a  model  of  industry,  of  meekness,  of  patience,  of 
Christian  simplicity  and  dignity,  was  this  very  extraordinary  man ! 
Well,  Brother,  we  hope  soon  to  see  him  again. 

I  have  spoken  of  Mr.  Barnes  as  a  temperance  reformer.  His 
own  account  of  his  position  on  this  subject  is  full  of  interest: — • 

I  have  mentioned  that  I  adopted  the  most  rigid  views  on  the 
subject  of  temperance.  I  embraced  the  principle  of  entire  absti- 
nence from  all  that  can  intoxicate.  I  have  adhered  to  that  principle. 
For  thirty  years  I  have  rigidly  abstained  from  even  wine,  except  as 
prescribed  by  a  physician,  and  using  it  then  most  rarel}'.  I  have 
never  kept  it  in  my  family  ;  I  have  never  provided  it  for  my  friends  ; 
I  have  declined  it  when  it  has  been  placed  before  me,  and  when  I 
have  been  present  where  others,  even  clergymen,  have  indulged  in 
its  use.  I  have  never  concealed  my  sentiments  on  the  subject ; 
and  in  thus  abstaining,  in  all  the  circles  where  I  have  been,  whether 
of  religious  men  or  worldly  men,  at  home,  at  sea,  abroad,  I  have 
seen  only  a  marked  respect  for  my  sentiments.  However  much  I 
may  have  differed  in  practice  from  those  with  whom  I  have  been, 
I  have  never  known  one  thing  done  or  said  to  give  me  pain,  nor 
have  I  found  that  men,  wliatever  might  be  their  own  practice,  have 


168  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

been  uny  the  less  disposed  to  show  me  respect  on  account  of  my 
views.  I  now  approve  the  course,  and,  if  I  were  to  live  my  life 
over  again,  I  see  nothing  in  this  matter  which  I  would  wish  to 
change.  I  am  persuaded  that  the  principle  has  all  the  importance 
which  I  have  ever  attached  to  it.  I  have  lost  nothing  by  it ;  I  have 
gained  much. 

I  look  with  equal  satisfaction  and  approbation  over  my  public 
efforts  in  the  cause  of  temperance.  It  was  m}'  lot  to  begin  my 
ministry  in  a  region  of  country  whei-e  the  usual  customs  on  this 
subject  prevailed,  and  where  alcoholic  drinks  were  extensively 
manufactured  and  sold.  Within  the  limits  of  my  pastoral  charge, 
embracing  a  district  not  far  from  ten  miles  in  diameter,  there  were 
nineteen  places  where  the  article  was  manufactured,  and  twenty 
where  it  was  sold.  I  considered  it  my  duty  early  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  my  people  to  the  subject.  I  presented  my  views,  in  succes- 
sive discourses,  plainly  and  earnestly.  I  appealed  to  their  reason, 
to  their  conscience,  to  their  reUgion.  I  showed  what  I  understood  to 
be  the  doctrine  of  the  Bible  on  the  subject,  and  stated  the  influence 
of  the  practice  on  the  happiness  of  families,  and  on  the  peace,  the 
order,  and  the  morals  of  the  connnunity,  and  its  influence  in  pro- 
ducing pauperism,  wretchedness,  crime,  and  death.  The  appeal 
was  not  in  vain.  I  found  early  in  my  ministry,  even  where  habits 
had  been  long  established,  where  property  was  involved,  and  where 
sacrifices  would  be  required  on  their  part  in  adopting  my  views, 
that  men  would  listen  to  the  voice  of  reason  and  the  voice  of  God. 
I  had  the  happiness  to  know  that,  in  eighteen  out  of  the  twenty 
places  where  intoxicating  drinks  were  sold,  the  trafhc  was  soon 
abandoned  ;  and  I  saw  in  seventeen  out  of  nineteen  of  those  places 
where  the  poison  was  manufactured  the  fires  go  out  to  be  rekindled 
no  more.  I  had  a  proof  thus  early  in  my  ministry,  which  has  been 
of  great  value  to  me  since,  of  the  fact  that  truth  may  be  presented 
to  the  minds  of  men  so  as  to  secure  their  approbation,  even  when 
great  pecuniary  sacrifices  must  be  made,  and  when  it  would  lead  to 
important  changes  in  the  customs  and  habits  of  society. 

Mr.  Barnes's  career  as  an  author  began  soon  after  he  en- 
tered the  ministry.  Among  his  works  are  Notes,  Explana- 
tory and  Practical,  on  the  New  Testament,  on  Isaiah  and  the 
Psalms ;  Inquiry  into  the  Scriptural  Views  of  Slavery ;  The 
Church  and  Slavery  ;  The  Way  of  Salvation  ;  The  Atonement, 


ALBERT  BARNES.  169 

in  its  Relations  to  Laiv  and  Moral  Government ;  Evidences  of 
Christianity  in  the  Nineteenth  Century ;  Prayers  adapted  to 
Family  Worship  ;  Miscellaneous  Essays  and  Reviews ;  Life  at 
Threescore  ;  and  Life  at  Threescore  and  Ten.  The  two  works 
last  mentioned  are  charming  pieces  of  autobiography,  full  of 
the  optimism  of  the  Gospel.  "  I  shall  close  my  eyes  in  death," 
says  Mr.  Barnes  in  Life  at  Threescore  and  Ten.,  "  with  bright 
and  glorious  hopes  in  regard  to  my  native  land,  to  the  Church, 
and  to  the  world  at  large."  Some  of  these  works,  particularly 
the  Notes  on  the  New  Testament,  had  an  immense  circulation 
in  Great  Britain  as  well  as  at  home,  and  thus  served  to  endear 
his  name  to  tens  of  thousands  of  Christian  men  and  women  in 
that  countrv. 

My  own  recollections  of  Mr.  Barnes  are  vivid  and  full  of 
pleasantness.  He  had  a  countenance  marked  in  an  unusual 
degree  by  moral  thoughtfulness,  benignity,  sweetness,  refine- 
ment, and  manly  dignity.  I  never  heard  him  speak  in  loud 
or  excited  tones.  The  gentleness  of  his  Divine  Master  had 
made  him  great,  —  great  in  calm  self-possession  and  self-for- 
getfulness,  in  the  meekness  of  wisdom,  in  humility,  and  in  the 
serene  assurance  of  faith.  He  seemed  to  shrink  instinctively 
from  the  ostentatious  ways  and  noisy  demonstrations  which 
sometimes  mar  the  character,  and  even  the  piety,  of  good 
men.  No  one  was  so  surprised  at  the  great  popularity  of 
his  writings  as  he  was  himself. 

My  last  recollection  of  him  recalls  an  interesting  occasion. 
During  the  first  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  re- 
united Church  at  Philadelphia,  in  May,  1870,  it  was  proposed 
that  those  members  who  were  so  inclined  should  go  in  com- 
pany and  pay  their  respects  to  Mr,  Barnes.  The  proposition 
was  cordially  received,  and  on  the  appointed  evening  a  large 
number  of  the  commissioners,  both  lay  and  clerical,  found 
themselves  together  under  the  roof  of  the  venerable  servant 
of  God  whose  name  in  earlier  years,  to  not  a  few  of  them, 
had  been  associated  with  grave  theological  error  and  trials  for 


170  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

heresy.  It  was  a  beautiful  and  touching  scene.  Mr.  Barnes, 
who  had  looked  with  no  little  distrust  upon  the  reunion 
movement,  appeared  to  be  deeply  moved  and  gratified.  The 
expression  of  high  Christian  esteem  and  confidence  by  so 
many  eminent  Old  School  ministers  and  laymen  was  too  cor- 
dial and  emphatic  to  allow  its  sincerity  to  be  doubted  ;  it  gave 
unmistakable  proof  that  in  the  reunited  Presbyterian  Church 
the  prejudices  and  animosities  of  former  days  had  passed 
or  were  fast  passing  away. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  no  memoir  of  Albert  Barnes 
has  yet  been  given  to  the  public.  He  was  a  very  interesting, 
as  well  as  a  great  and  good  man.  I  know  of  no  one,  among 
his  contemporaries  in  the  Christian  ministry  of  this  country, 
whose  life  and  character  were  marked  by  more  original  traits, 
nor  any  one  whose  example  better  deserves  to  be  studied  by 
students  of  divinity.  It  might  not,  perhaps,  be  wise  for  them 
to  copy  some  of  his  literary  methods  and  habits ;  but  his 
patient  industry,  his  passion  for  truth,  especially  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,  his  moral  courage  in  forming  and  avow- 
ing his  own  convictions,  his  candor  and  fairness  in  dealing 
with  the  convictions  of  others,  his  meekness  and  lowliness  of 
mind,  his  reverence  for  the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
his  delight  in  the  pulpit,  that  "  most  attractive  and  sacred 
place  on  earth,"  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  humanity  in  all 
its  phases,  his  scrupulous  regard  to  the  smallest  claims  of 
duty,  —  how  worthy  are  these  of  careful  imitation  !  A  faith- 
ful account  of  his  life  would  present  some  striking  scenes. 
What  could  be  more  becoming  and  Christ-like  than  his  de- 
meanor, as  well  as  his  speech,  during  his  trial  for  heresy, 
and  while  under  suspension  from  the  ministry  ?  What  more 
unique,  or  picturesque,  than  the  story  of  liis  Notes,  Explana- 
tory and  Practical,  to  the  New  Testament  and  portions  of  the 
Old  Testament,  which  appeared  between  1832  and  1868  ?  I 
recall  nothing  quite  like  it  in  American  ministerial  biography. 
What  touching  incidents  occurred  in  the  famous  church  study 


ALBERT  BARNES.  171 

where  in  the  early  morning  those  books  were  written !     Mr. 
Barnes  thus  alludes  to  these  morning  hours: 

In  the  recollection  now  of  the  past  portions  of  my  life,  I  refer  to 
these  morning  hours,  —  to  the  stillness  and  quiet  of  my  room  in 
this  house  of  God  when  I  have  been  permitted  to  "prevent  the 
dawning  of  the  morning  "  in  the  study  of  the  Bible,  while  the  in- 
habitants of  this  great  city  were  slumbering  round  about  me,  and 
before  the  cares  of  the  day  and  its  direct  responsibilities  came  on 
me,  —  to  the  hours  which  I  have  thus  spent  in  a  close  contempla- 
tion of  divine  truth,  endeavoring  to  understand  its  import,  to  re- 
move the  difficulties  that  might  pertain  to  it,  and  to  ascertain  its 
practical  bearing  on  the  Christian  life,  —  I  refer,  I  say,  to  these 
scenes  as  among  the  happiest  portions  of  my  life.  If  I  have  had 
any  true  communion  with  God  in  my  life  ;  if  I  have  made  any 
progress  in  Christian  piety ;  if  I  am,  in  any  respect,  a  better  man 
and  a  more  confirmed  Christian  than  I  was  when  I  entered  the 
ministry ;  if  I  have  made  any  progress  in  my  preparation  for  that 
world  on  wliich  I  must  at  no  distant  period  enter ;  and  if  I  have 
been  enabled  to  do  you  any  good  in  explaining  to  you  the  word  of 
God,  —  it  has  been  closely  connected  with  those  calm  and  quiet 
scenes  where  I  felt  that  I  was  alone  with  God,  and  when  my  mind 
was  thus  brought  into  close  contact  with  those  truths  which  the 
Holy  Ghost  has  inspired.  I  look  back  to  those  periods  of  my  life 
with  gratitude  to  God  ;  and  I  could  not  do  a  better  thing  in  refer- 
ence to  my  younger  brethren  in  the  ministry  than  to  commend  this 
habit  to  them  as  one  closely  connected  with  their  own  personal 
piety,  and  their  usefulness  in  the  world. 

Some  time  before  his  death  a  friend  of  mine  chanced  to  call 
upon  Mr.  Barnes  while  he  was  engaged  in  burning  up  his  old 
sermons,  and  she  still  preserves  several  which  her  entreaty 
saved  from  the  flames.  The  incident  is  so  characteristic 
and  so  pathetic,  that  I  cannot  refrain  from  giving  it  in  Mr. 
Barnes's  own  words  :  — 

My  hair  had  begun  to  turn  gray.  My  sight  had  so  failed  that 
I  could  not  read  what  I  had  written  in  my  earlier  years.  Old  age 
was  coming  upon  me,  and  I  was  admonished  that  I  must  at  no  dis- 
tant period  pass  away,  and  be  seen  no  more  among  the  living.     I 


172  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

should  no  more  be  seen  in  my  familiar  walks ;  I  should  no  more 
again  enter  the  dwellings  of  my  people,  to  speak  to  them  of  the 
Saviour  and  of  heaven,  to  gather  the  children  around  me,  and  try 
to  interest  them  in  the  old  pastor,  and  thus  to  interest  them  in  re- 
ligion itself.  I  should  no  longer  endeavor  to  minister  consolation 
to  those  that  mourn,  and  to  the  sick  and  dying ;  I  should  no  more 
enter  my  pulpit,  to  me  that  most  attractive  and  sacred  place  on 
earth,  and  seek  to  persuade  men  to  turn  to  God.  What  shall  be 
done  with  my  old  sermons  ?  In  a  long  pastorate,  for  I  had  spent 
my  ministr}'  mainly  among  the  same  people,  they  had  accumulated 
on  m\  hands,  and  I  could  number  thein  by  hundreds.  They  were 
becoming  almost  useless  to  myself,  and  soon  the}'  would  be  wholly 
so.  What  should  be  done  with  them  ?  Old  sermons  are  among  the 
most  useless  of  all  kinds  of  lumber  when  the  man  that  wrote  them 
is  dead,  and  there  is  nothing  that  is  more  difficult  to  dispose  of. 
They  are  not  like  old  newspapers,  useful  to  the  grocer ;  the  family 
of  an  old  pastor  does  not  like  to  burn  them  ;  the}-  cannot  be  used 
again  by  those  who  come  after  him  ;  no  bookseller  will  print  them 
and  no  one  would  buy  them  if  they  were  printed.  What  would 
probably  become  of  mine  when  I  am  dead  ?  My  people,  though 
they  had  heard  them  with  some  degree  of  interest,  would  regard 
them  as  of  no  value  if  the}'  were  distributed  among  them,  and  what 
would  be  done  with  them  ?  I  could  not  doubt  they  would  be  likely 
to  lie  in  some  dusty  corner  of  some  old  garret,  encumbering  the 
world,  until  moths  and  mice  should  consume  the  yellow  leaves, 
and  at  last,  tired  with  seeing  them,  some  duster  and  sweeper  of 
the  garret  would  resolve  to  get  them  out  of  the  way,  and  commit 
the  fragments  of  what  had  cost  me  so  much  labor  and  prayer 
to  the  flames. 

My  sermons  had  been  written  with  great  care,  and  many  of  them 
were  ready  for  the  press.  I  had  folded  and  ruled  my  paper  ;  I  had 
with  my  own  hands  stitched  them  together  with  as  much  skill  as 
a  bookbinder  would  have  done.  Nay,  I  had  actually  employed  a 
bookbinder  to  prepare  little  sermon-books  of  suitable  size,  and 
with  a  suitable  cover,  and  had  valued  myself  on  the  neatness  of 
my  manuscript ;  for  that  portion  of  my  audience  that  occupied  the 
galleries  could  look  down  upon  my  sermon  as  I  carefully  laid  it 
in  the  open  Bible,  and  I  had  a  conscious  pride  in  the  feeling  that 
my  sermon  was  in  entire  keeping  with  the  other  arrangements  in 
the  sanctuary.     But  what  should  be  done  with  them  now?    Ire- 


ALBERT  BARNES.  173 

solved  to  burn  them,  and  thus  to  save  all  trouble  to  my  friends 
when  I  should  have  gone  to  my  long  resting-place.  I  took  a  day 
for  the  purpose,  and  I  committed  them  in  instalments  of  a  dozen 
or  more  to  the  flames.  1  watched  them  as  they  were  slowly  con- 
sumed. They  were  not  martyrs,  for  they  could  not  feel  the  flame, 
but  it  was  a  kind  of  martyrdom  of  myself.  The  end  of  life  was 
really  coming.  The  beginning  of  the  end  was  near.  I  saw  them 
"  into  smoke  consume  away." 

Mr.  Barnes  was  appointed  a  Director  of  the  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary  soon  after  its  establishment,  and  continued 
such  until  his  death,  thirty  years  later.  During  all  these 
years  he  was  a  model  of  punctuality  and  faithful  service, 
coming  on  from  Philadelphia  oftentimes,  at  no  little  inconve- 
nience, to  attend  the  meetings.  In  1867  he  delivered  the  first 
course  of  lectures  on  the  Ely  Foundation.  They  were  upon 
the  Evidences  of  Christianity  in  the  Nineteenth  Century,  and 
were  afterwards  published. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  minute  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  on  occasion  of  Mr.  Barnes's  death,  prepared  by 
his  old  friend.  Dr.  Adams  :  — 

Wise  in  counsel,  assiduous  and  decided  in  action,  persevering 
and  stead}'  in  the  pursuit  of  his  objects,  his  devotion  to  the  intei'- 
ests  of  this  beloved  Seminar}-  and  the  cause  of  education  for  the 
Christian  ministry  in  general  has  been,  from  flrst  to  last,  warm, 
constant,  and  effective.  Sacred  literature  has  lost  in  him  one  of 
its  brightest  ornaments,  and  the  Church  one  of  her  strongest  pil- 
lars. Without  a  particle  of  sectarian  exclusiveness,  he  was  firmly 
and  cordially  attached  to  the  great  truths  of  the  Bible,  as  embod- 
ied in  the  Presbyterian  standards,  and  lived  and  labored  for  his 
own  Church  as  one  deeply  convinced  of  its  excellence.  No  man 
preached  with  more  fulness  and  heartiness  its  distinguishing  prin- 
ciples, according  to  what  he  understood  to  be  their  true  import  and 
intent.  Called  in  his  early  manhood,  in  troublous  times,  to  the 
forefront  of  a  contest  none  the  less  perilous  from  the  fact  that  good 
men  on  both  sides  were  the  combatants,  it  is  much  to  sa}'  of  him 
that  he  bore  his  part  with  a  firmness,  dignit}',  and  independence, 
coupled  with  the  meekness  of  wisdom,  which  never  suffered  him  to 


174  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

be  irritated  to  recrimination,  nor  driven  on  eitlier  side  to  extremes. 
The  Bible,  wliose  sacred  contents  he  has  done  so  much  to  expound, 
not  only  to  his  own  countrymen,  but  to  the  people  of  other  lands, 
was  ever  the  guide  of  his  thinking  and  the  law  of  his  conduct  and 
character.  By  his  eminent  abilities,  his  extensive  acquirements, 
his  untiring  diligence,  his  bright  example,  his  conscientious  ad- 
herence to  the  truth,  his  affectionate  sj-mpath}'  for  all  humanit}-,  his 
ardent  desire  for  the  salvation  of  his  fellow-men,  his  purity  and 
the  simplicity  of  his  aims,  his  devout  walk  with  God,  he  has  con- 
tributed largely,  during  a  life  of  more  than  threescore  years  and  ten, 
to  the  advancement  of  all  the  best  interests  of  humanit}'  and  the 
honor  of  his  Master's  cause. 


Asa  D.  Smith,  D.D.,  LL.  D.,  (1841-1864,)  was  born  at 
Amherst,  N.  H.,  September  21,  1804.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, while  living  at  Windsor,  Yt.,  he  began  a  Christian  life, 
and  not  long  after  decided  to  devote  himself  to  the  ministry 
of  the  Gospel.  After  a  course  of  preparatory  study  at  Kim- 
ball Union  Academy,  Meriden,  N.  H.,  he  entered  Dartmouth 
College  in  1826,  and  graduated  there  in  1830.  While  in 
college  he  was  distinguished  alike  for  high  scholarship  and 
for  Christian  zeal  and  influence.  Upon  his  graduation  he 
spent  a  year  in  teaching,  as  Principal  of  the  Academy  at 
Limerick,  Me.,  and  then  went  to  Andover,  where  he  pursued 
his  theological  studies.     He  belonged  to  the  class  of  1834. 

In  November,  1834,  he  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor 
of  the  "  Brainerd  Church  "  in  the  city  of  New  York.  This 
church  had  been  organized  by  the  Third  Presbytery  on  Feb- 
ruary 9th  in  the  same  year.  Here  he  labored  with  great 
diligence  and  success  for  several  years,  when  his  people  re- 
moved to  a  new  edifice  erected  by  them  at  the  corner  of 
Fourteenth  Street  and  Second  Avenue,  and  were  afterwards 
known  as  the  Fourteenth  Street  Presbyterian  Church.  In 
1863  he  accepted  a  unanimous  call  to  the  presidency  of  Dart- 
mouth College,  and  was  inaugurated  on  November  18  in  that 
year.     He  died  at  Hanover,  August  16,  1877. 


ANTHONY  P.   HALSEY.  175 

Dr.  Smith  was  one  of  the  best  and  weightiest  men  of  his 
generation.  Whether  regarded  as  a  pastor,  as  a  leader,  or  as 
an  educator,  he  made  a  strong  and  lasting  impression.  For 
wellnigh  a  third  of  a  century  his  power  was  felt,  not  in  the 
pulpit  only,  but  in  almost  all  departments  of  the  benevolent 
and  Christian  work  of  New  York.  In  his  own  congregation, 
aided  by  such  elders  as  William  E.  Dodge,  David  Hoadley, 
Christopher  R.  Robert,  and  William  A.  Booth,  he  devised  and 
carried  out  the  most  effective  plans  of  usefulness.  In  the 
Presbytery  and  in  the  benevolent  committees  of  the  Church 
his  counsels  were  of  the  utmost  value.  Sound  judgment  and 
untiring  zeal  for  the  cause  of  the  Divine  Master  were  equally 
his  characteristics.  I  served  with  him  in  the  Directory  of  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  and  in  other  important  associa- 
tions, and  never  failed  to  be  struck  with  his  practical  wisdom, 
public  spirit,  and  unwavering  loyalty  to  what  he  considered 
the  claims  of  truth  and  righteousness.  His  eminent  services 
as  President  of  Dartmouth  College  belong  to  the  history  of 
that  institution. 

Anthony  P.  Halsey  (1841-1863)  early  became  connected 
with  the  Bank  of  New  York,  and  served  it  with  fidelity  forty- 
seven  years  as  clerk,  teller,  cashier,  vice-president,  and  presi- 
dent. His  name  is  entitled  to  a  place  among  the  best  friends 
of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary.  He  succeeded  William 
M.  Halsted  as  its  treasurer,  and  held  the  office  until  his  death, 
in  November,  1863.  Mrs.  Halsey  says,  in  a  letter  to  the  Board 
written  shortly  after  his  death  :  — 

He  was  always  deeply  interested  in  the  cause  of  Christian  educa- 
tion. During  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life,  the  Union  Seminary 
occupied  a  large  portion  of  his  thoughts  and  prayers.  He  has 
considered  the  Professors  and  Directors  among  his  best  friends ; 
he  both  loved  and  respected  them.  The  students  had  also  his 
sympathy  and  prayers.  A  large  number  of  the  graduates  have 
been  intimate  friends  in  our  family.  May  God  continue  to  bless 
and  prosper  the  institution ! 


176  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

David  Leavitt  (1841-1846)  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  Conn., 
August  27, 1791.  After  a  long  business  life  in  New  York,  Mr. 
Leavitt  built  a  home  for  himself  at  Great  Barrington,  Mass., 
where  he  passed  some  twenty  years  in  dignified  ease  and  re- 
tirement. For  the  following  slvetch  I  am  indebted  to  the  Rev. 
Henry  M.  Booth,  D.  D.,  of  Englewood,  N.  J. 

The  parents  of  David  Leavitt  were  possessed  of  considerable 
property,  so  that  he  entered  upon  life  with  many  advantages. 
When  but  a  lad,  however,  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  village  store,  and 
before  he  had  reached  manhood  had  made  his  way  to  New  York, 
where  he  was  soon  engaged  in  business  for  himself.  He  was  in- 
dustrious, energetic,  and  bold,  apparently  slirinking  from  no  mer- 
cantile ventures  and  usually  succeeding  in  whatever  he  undertook. 
His  were  the  merchant's  instincts.  He  had  a  genius  for  trade, 
which  rapidly  advanced  him  to  prominence  among  the  business  men 
of  the  growing  city.  After  he  had  established  himself  firmly  in  com- 
mercial circles,  he  gave  attention  to  banking,  and  was  widely  and 
favorablv  known  as  a  financier.  The  American  Exchange  Bank, 
one  of  the  largest  institutions  in  the  country,  was  controlled  by 
him  for  many  of  his  active  3'ears,  and  his  name  was  then  a  power 
in  Wall  Street  as  well  as  throughout  the  United  States.  Before  he 
retired  from  business  he  had  accumulated  a  large  fortune,  which  he 
had  been  using,  and  continued  to  use,  in  promoting  many  of  our 
most  important  public  works.  He  w^as  also  a  regular  and  a  liberal 
contributor  to  the  various  educational,  philanthropic,  and  religious 
enterprises  which  were  originated  and  developed  by  the  men  of  his 
generation. 

After  he  became  a  resident  on  Brooklyn  Heights,  in  1827,  he 
was  an  active  ruling  elder  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  whose 
present  substantial  house  of  worship  was  built  under  his  direction, 
and  whose  distinguished  pastor,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Hanson  Cox,  D.  D., 
was  brought  to  Brooklyn  through  his  influence. 

In  his  retirement  at  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  Mr.  Leavitt  spent 
many  happ}'  3'ears  dispensing  a  generous  hospitality,  and  watching 
with  serene  composure  the  progress  of  events  in  wdiich  he  had  afore- 
time been  a  leader.  He  was  a  man  of  commanding  presence  and 
courtl}-  manners.  His  erect  form,  with  long  white  hair  and  broad- 
brimmed  hat,  was  readil}'  recognized  as  he  passed  through  Wall 
Street.     He  wore  a  white  cravat  about  his  neck,  and  dressed  in 


JAMES  a  BLISS.  177 

ministerial  black,  so  tliat  he  was  <>ftcn  mistaken  for  a  elcrg3'man. 
He  was  indeed  the  clergyman's  friend,  as  well  as  the  friend  of  every 
one  who  needed  his  assistance  ;  and  many  are  the  pleasant  incidents 
which  the  old  merchants  still  relate  of  his  personal  helpfnlness. 

He  died  peacefully  in  New  York  City,  on  the  30th  of  December, 
1879,  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-eight  years. 

James  C.  Bliss,  M.  D.,  (1842-1855,)  was  born  in  JBcnning- 
ton,  Vt,  January  3,  1791.  Having  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine,  he  came  to  New  York  in  the  winter  of  1811-12 
and  entered  the  oflfice  of  Dr.  Borrowe,  became  resident  house 
surgeon  of  the  New  York  Hospital,  and  graduated  at  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  1815.  He  then  en- 
tered on  the  long  and  successful  career  which  placed  him 
among  the  foremost  members  of  his  profession  in  this  city. 
He  held  important  offices  in  numerous  medical,  scientific,  hu- 
mane, and  charitable  institutions ;  and  performed  an  amount 
of  gratuitous  service  in  the  families  of  clergymen  and  the  offi- 
cers of  religious  societies,  and  among  the  destitute  and  suffer- 
ing, which  made  him  a  benefactor  of  the  whole  community. 

His  religious  life  began  in  childhood,  and  developed  with 
uncommon  vigor,  intelligence,  and  power.  For  many  years 
he  served  as  an  elder  in  the  South  Dutch  Church,  and  later  in 
the  Bleecker  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  early  took  an  active  part  in  the  New  York  Young  Men's 
Missionary  Society  and  the  New  York  Religious  Tract  Society. 
Of  the  latter  he  became  corresponding  secretary  in  1821,  and 
within  about  one  year  prepared  for  the  press  of  the  society, 
chiefly  by  labors  at  night  after  the  professional  services  of  the 
day,  no  less  than  seventy-five  children's  tracts,  by  the  circula- 
tion of  which  its  operations  were  soon  more  than  doubled. 
He  urged  strongly  the  importance  of  nationalizing  the  insti- 
tution ;  and  the  first  meeting  for  consultation  and  prayer  on 
the  subject  was  held  at  his  house,  at  the  corner  of  Broad  and 
Garden  Streets,  in  February,  1825.  When  the  American 
Tract  Society  was  at  length  formed,  he  was  among  its  most 
12 


178  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

devoted  friends.  As  a  member  of  its  distributing  and  execu- 
tive committees,  he  labored  for  more  than  thirty  years  with 
the  utmost  zeal  and  fidelity.  The  records  of  the  executive 
committee  show  that,  notwithstanding  unavoidable  absences 
to  meet  professional  calls,  and  his  own  occasional  attacks  of 
sickness,  he  was  present  at  375  out  of  416  stated  and  special 
meetings  of  this  committee.  For  twenty-eight  years  he  was 
secretary  of  the  committee,  and  kept  its  minutes.  On  his 
death-bed  he  expressed  his  gratitude  that  he  had  been  per- 
mitted to  associate  with  such  men  of  God  as  Milnor,  Willett, 
Stokes,  Timothy  B,.  Green,  and  others  like  them,  in  the  service 
of  the  Master.  He  died  in  the  peace  and  triumph  of  Chris- 
tian faith,  on  July  31, 1855.  Although  not  one  of  its  founders, 
he  was  a  devoted  friend  and  influential  Director  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary. 

James  Woods  McLane,  D.D.,  (1842-1864,)  was  born  at 
Charlotte,  N.  C,  May  22,  1801.  He  graduated  at  Yale  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1828 ;  studied  theology  at  Andover ; 
was  ordained  in  1835 ;  and  later  became  pastor  of  the  Madi- 
son Street  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  city  of  New  York. 
Here  he  labored  eight  years,  when  he  was  called  to  the  First 
Presbyterian  Churcli  in  Williamsburg,  N.  Y.,  where  he  con- 
tinued until  failing  health  led  him  to  resign.  He  died  on 
February  26,  1864.  Dr.  McLane  was  an  able,  scholarly  man, 
positive  and  imcompromising  in  his  opinions,  intensely  hostile 
to  all  innovations  upon  the  old  orthodoxy,  especially  to  every- 
thing that  he  thought  savored  of  "  German  theology,"  and 
very  decided  in  maintaining  his  own  position.  He  was  an 
earnest  preacher,  a  faithful  pastor,  and  an  eminently  good 
man.  He  served  the  Union  Seminary  as  its  Recorder  for  a 
score  of  years.  He  was  greatly  esteemed  by  his  brethren ; 
and  those  who  attended  his  funeral  cannot  have  forgotten  the 
singularly  beautiful  and  edifying  address  which  Dr.  William 
Adams  delivered  on  the  occasion. 


CYRUS  PORTER  S^^TH.  179 

Cyeus  Porter  Smith  (1844-1.848)  was  born  at  Hanover, 
N.  H.,  April  5,  1800.  Like  so  many  New  England  boys  who 
have  won  their  way  to  eminence  in  the  various  spheres  of  life, 
he  worked  on  his  father's  farm,  and  attended  the  district 
school  in  the  winter.  In  1824  he  graduated  from  Dartmouth 
College,  having  supported  himself  while  there  by  teaching 
during  the  winter.  He  studied  law  with  Chief  Justice  T.  H. 
Williams,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  was  admitted  to  practise  in 
1827.  He  had  a  remarkable  voice,  and  sustained  himself, 
while  pursuing  his  legal  studies,  by  teaching  music  and  sing- 
ing. In  his  singing  school  at  Bristol,  Conn.,  he  first  met  the 
lady  who  became  his  wife,  Lydia  Lewis  Hooker,  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  "  father  of  the  Connecticut 
churches." 

In  September,  1827,  he  came  to  Brooklyn,  with  little  money 
and  no  friends,  and  for  seven  months  he  never  saw  a  client 
nor  made  a  dollar  by  his  profession.  But  this  did  not  dis- 
courage him.  He  soon  became  the  choir-master  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  position  he  continued  thirty- 
two  years.  He  was  a  member  of  that  church  for  fifty  years, 
served  it  as  a  deacon  and  elder,  and  for  forty  years  was 
chairman  of  its  board  of  trustees. 

Mr.  Smith's  lire  was  closely  connected  with  the  life  and 
growth  of  the  town.  In  1833  he  was  chosen  clerk  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Village  of  Brooklyn,  and  Corporation 
Counsel  of  Brooklyn  from  1835  to  1839.  In  1839  he  was 
chosen  Mayor  by  the  Aldermen,  and  at  the  first  election  by 
the  people  in  1840  he  was  again  chosen,  holding  the  office 
until  1842.  In  1856  and  1857  he  was  a  State  Senator.  For 
thirty  years  (1838-1868)  he  was  a  member  and  president  of 
the  Board  of  Education.  He  was  also  an  original  incorpo- 
rator of  the  Greenwood  Cemetery  Association,  and  a  trustee 
until  his  death.  In  connection  with  General  Robert  Nichols 
he  founded  a  hospital,  which  is  now  the  City  Hospital,  and  in 
which  he  was  a  trustee  to  the  time  of  his  death.    He  was  also 


180  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

a  trustee  of  the  Polytechnic  and  Packer  Institute,  of  the  House 
of  Refuge  on  Randall's  Island,  and  of  various  other  institu- 
tions.    He  died  on  February  13,  1877. 

Rev.  William  B.  Lewis  (1844-1849)  was  born  on  July  29, 
1812,  and  died,  after  a  lingering  illness,  on  December  27, 1849. 
He  was  pastor  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.  He  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  critical  and  exact 
scholar  in  the  original  languages  of  the  Bible,  a  theologian 
of  clear  thought,  a  devout  man,  and  a  faithful  minister  of 
Christ. 

Horatio  X.  Brinsmade,  D.  D.,  (1844-1851,)  was  born  at 
New  Hartford,  Conn,,  December  28,  1798.  Graduating  at 
Yale  College  in  1822,  he  at  once  entered  Princeton  Seminary, 
where  he  spent  nearly  a  year,  and  then  went  to  Hartford  and 
completed  his  theological  studies  under  the  care  of  the  Rev. 
Joel  Hawes,  D.  D.,  teaching  at  the  same  time,  and  for  several 
years  later,  in  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum  in  that  city.  He 
was  licensed  to  preach  in  1824  by  the  North  Congregational 
Association  of  Hartford,  and  ordained  by  the  same  body  as  an 
evangelist  in  1828  ;  in  1831  he  began  to  preach  at  Collinsville, 
Conn.,  serving  for  two  years  a  Congregational  church  which 
was  organized  there  in  1832.  In  February,  1835,  he  was  in- 
stalled over  the  First  Congregational  Church  at  Pittsfield, 
Mass.  After  laboring  here  for  six  years  he  accepted  a  call 
to  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  where  he 
remained  twelve  years.  His  next  pastorate  was  at  Beloit, 
Wis.,  where  he  continued  until  1861.  He  then  returned  to 
Newark,  and  gathered  a  new  congregation,  which  he  served 
until  1872.  He  died  at  Newark,  on  January  18,  1879.  Dr. 
Brinsmade  was  a  man  of  large  and  generous  views,  full  of 
zeal  for  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  an  earnest,  spiritual  preacher, 
a  model  pastor,  greatly  beloved,  and  signally  useful  in  his  day 
and  generation. 


DAVID  HOADLEY.  181 

Samuel  W.  Fisher,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  (1846-1848,)  was  born 
in  Morristown,  N.  J.,  April  5,  1814.  He  graduated  at  Yale 
College  in  1835,  and  studied  theology  at  Princeton  for  two 
years,  and  for  another  year  at  the  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary. In  1839  he  was  settled  at  West  Bloomfield,  in  1843 
became  pastor  of  the  Fourth  Presbyterian  Church  at  Albany, 
and  in  1846  was  installed  over  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Cincinnati,  where  he  labored  successfully  eleven  years.  In 
1858  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  presidency  of  Hamilton  Col- 
lege, and  in  1867  resumed  the  pastoral  work  in  Westminster 
Church,  Utica.  After  several  years  of  broken  health,  he  died, 
on  January  18,  1874,  at  College  Hill,  Ohio.  Dr.  Fisher  was  a 
man  of  marked  and  varied  ability,  positive  in  his  convictions, 
with  a  lofty  sense  of  right  and  duty,  full  of  glowing  zeal  for 
the  cause  of  humanity,  an  eloquent  speaker,  and  a  most  ear- 
nest preacher  of  the  Gospel. 

David  Hoadley  (1846-1873)  was  born  at  Waterbury, 
Conn.,  February  13,  1806.  A  few  years  later  his  father  re- 
moved with  the  family  to  New  Haven.  It  was  the  desire  of 
his  parents  that  he  should  go  to  college  and  then  enter  one  of 
the  professions ;  and  with  this  end  in  view  he  pursued  a  course 
of  preparatory  study  at  New  Haven,  and  for  a  year  at  Phillips 
Academy,  Andover,  Mass.  Owing,  however,  to  a  frail  consti- 
tution and  impaired  health,  he  changed  his  plan  of  life,  and 
decided  upon  a  business  career.  He  became  a  clerk  in  the 
drug  store  of  Hotchkiss  and  Durant,  remaining  in  New  Haven 
until  1827,  when  he  started  for  New  York  in  quest  of  fortune. 
Here  he  entered,  as  a  partner,  the  firm  of  Frisby  and  Ely.  At 
twenty-four  he  was  left  at  tlie  head  of  the  house.  He  then 
associated  with  himself  Mr.  George  D.  Phelps,  and,  later,  Mr. 
John  W.  Fowler,  when  the  firm  became  widely  known  under 
the  name  of  Hoadley,  Phelps,  &,  Co.  In  1848  he  retired  from 
the  drug  business.  After  serving  for  some  years  as  vice- 
president  of  the  American  Exchange  Bank,  he  accepted  the 


182  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

presidency  of  the  Panama  Railroad,  a  position  which  he  held 
for  eighteen  years.  During  the  last  eight  years  of  his  life  he 
resided  at  Englewood,  N.  J.,  where  he  died  on  August  20, 1873, 
lamented  by  the  whole  community. 

Mr.  Hoadley  combined  in  an  unusual  degree  the  qualities 
which  make  a  man  strong  and  efficient  in  the  world  of  busi- 
ness, personally  beloved,  and  useful  as  a  member  of  society. 
His  religious,  like  his  natural  character,  was  very  attractive  ; 
his  humility  and  his  solid  worth  were  equally  conspicuous ; 
and  both  as  a  private  member,  and  for  more  than  a  third 
of  a  century  a  ruling  elder,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  he 
enjoyed  the  confidence  and  affection  alike  of  his  pastor  and 
all  his  brethren.  For  years  he  was  associated  with  William 
E.  Dodge,  Christopher  R.  Robert,  and  others  like  them,  in  the 
session  of  the  Fourteenth  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  during 
the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Asa  D.  Smith.  His  service  in  the  Direc- 
tory of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  continued  for  twenty- 
seven  years.  On  the  occasion  of  his  death,  the  Board  ex- 
pressed its  "  gratitude  to  God  that  one  so  pure,  so  gentle  and 
faithful,"  had  been  spared  to  the  world  so  long. 

Edwin  F.  Hatfield,  D.D.,  (1846-1883,)  was  born  at  Eliza- 
bethtown,  N.  J.,  January  9, 1807.  He  graduated  from  Middle- 
bury  College,  Vermont,  in  the  class  of  1829 ;  studied  theology 
for  two  years  at  Andover,  and  then  accepted  a  call  to  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  In 
1835  he  became  pastor  of  the  Seventh  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  succeeding  the  Rev.  Elihu  W.  Bald- 
win, who  had  been  appointed  President  of  Wabash  College, 
Indiana.  The  Seventh  Church  was  organized  on  March  27, 
1818,  and,  under  the  faithful  ministry  of  Dr.  Baldwin,  had 
grown  strong  and  prosperous.  Dr.  Hatfield  continued  its  pas- 
tor until  1856.  During  this  period  he  received  to  its  fellow- 
ship 1,556  persons  on  confession,  and  662  persons  by  letter. 
Several  remarkable  seasons  of  awakening  attended  his  labors. 


EDWIN  F.  HATFIELD.  183 

He  was  a  preacher  of  deep  spiritual  earnestness  and  power, 
and  great  crowds  flocked  to  hear  him.  In  1856  he  was  in- 
stalled over  the  North  Presbyterian  Church,  near  Thirty-first 
Street.  In  1863,  owing  to  loss  of  health,  he  retired  from  the 
pastorate.  Dr.  Hatfield  was  an  accomplished  ecclesiastic, 
perfectly  versed  in  all  the  affairs  of  the  church.  From  1846 
until  his  death  he  was  stated  clerk  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  first  of  the  New  School  branch 
and  then  of  the  reunited  body.  He  was  also  a  member  oi 
the  Reunion  Committee  of  1866.  The  General  Assembly  that 
met  at  Saratoga  in  1883  elected  him  as  its  moderator,  and, 
although  in  his  seventy-seventh  year,  he  discharged  the  duties 
of  the  position  with  the  readiness  and  energy  of  a  man  of 
fifty.  This  honor  fitly  crowned  his  long  and  invaluable  ser- 
vices to  the  church  which  he  loved.  He  died  at  Summit, 
N.  J.,  on  September  22,  1883. 

Dr.  Hatfield  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  religious 
press,  and  the  author  of  3Iemoir  of  J^liJm  W.  Baldwin,  D.  D. ; 
The  History  of  EUzahetli,  N.  J.  ;  The  Church  Hymn-Book 
with  Tunes;  and  other  works.  After  his  death  appeared. 
The  Poets  of  the  Church,  a  Series  of  Biographical  Sketches  of 
Hymn  Writers,  with  notes  on  their  hymns.  His  large  library, 
presented  by  his  children  to  the  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
was  especially  rich  in  the  department  of  hymnology.  His 
connection  with  the  Seminary  as  a  member  of  its  Board  of 
Directors  continued  thirty-seven  years.  For  ten  years  he 
filled  the  office  of  its  Recorder.  Of  his  labors  as  its  financial 
agent,  I  have  spoken  elsewhere.^ 

In  1876,  on  its  fortieth  anniversary,  he  delivered  a  very 

1  In  a  mimite  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  adopted  January  1.3, 1875,  in  whicli 
they  express  to  Dr.  Hatfield  their  tlianks  for  liis  services  as  special  financial 
agent  of  the  Seminary,  these  services  are  said  to  have  been  the  moans  by 
which  "the  initial  steps  were  taken  in  tliat  work  of  endowment,  vvhicii  has 
since  been  carried  on  to  a  complete  success."  This  is  a  mistake,  the  initial 
steps  having  been  taken,  as  stated  in  the  Address,  through  the  agency  of  Mr. 
Gallagher. 


184  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

valuable  historical  discourse,  afterwards  published  under  the 
title,  The  Early  Annals  of  the  Union  Tlieological  Seminary 
in  the  City  of  New  York.  While  Dr.  Hatfield  cherished  an 
ardent  affection  for  the  Presbyterian  Church,  his  affection  for 
the  Church  of  Christ  was  stronger  still.  His  life  in  New 
York  extended  over  nearly  half  a  century,  and  was  filled  with 
usefulness.  He  had  a  happy  home,  his  old  age  was  serene 
and  cheerful,  and  he  died,  as  he  had  lived,  in  the  peace  of  God. 
Among  the  pleasantest  recollections  of  my  pastoral  life  are 
hours  spent  with  him  in  his  library,  where  companionship 
with  books  was  constantly  brightened  by  the  loving  compan- 
ionship of  his  wife  and  children  and  friends. 


Francis  Peoples  Schoals  (1847-1850)  showed  his  interest 
in  this  Seminary  by  endowing  the  Fellowship  which  bears  his 
name.     One  who  knew  him  well  writes  to  me  as  follows  :  — 

Francis  P.  Schoals  was  for  many  years  connected  with  the  Spring 
Street  Church  under  the  pastorates  of  Drs.  Patton  and  Campbell. 
Here  he  was  well  known  by  bis  consistent  Cliristian  character.  An 
active  business  man,  his  success  always  marked  tlie  increase  of  his 
benevolent  gifts.  His  sympathies  were  generous  and  broad,  and  so 
his  gifts  were  widely  diffused.  While  not  known  in  pubUc  life,  he 
is  still  to  be  numbered  among  the  public's  benefactors,  for  he  never 
drew  back  from  personal  service,  and  had  a  "  conscience  for  giv- 
ing." Like  many  of  his  contemporaries,  he  "  builded  better  than 
he  knew,"  and  in  not  a  few  private  circles,  as  well  as  in  public 
institutions,  he  will  be  long  remembered,  not  only  for  what  he  gave, 
but  for  what  he  was. 


John  Center  Baldwin  (1848-1870)  was  born  at  Danville, 
Yt.,  on  March  29,  1800,  and  died  at  Orange,  N.  J.,  on  April 
21,  1870.  He  belonged  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  noted 
New  England  families.  Its  records  go  back  to  1500,  and 
abound  in  worthy  and  distinguished  names.  A  younger 
brother  of  John  C,  Henry  Porter  Baldwin,  was  twice  elected 


JOHN  CENTER  BALDWIN.  185 

Governor  of  Michigan,  and  later  succeeded  Zachary  Chandler 
as  United  States  Senator  from  that  State.  While  still  young, 
John  moved  to  Brimlield,  Mass.,  where  he  made  public  con- 
fession of  Christ,  and  entered  upon  his  business  life.  His 
mercantile  career  was  chiefly  in  the  cities  of  Baltimore  and 
New  York.  Starting  without  means  of  his  own,  by  industry, 
prudence,  and  rigid  economy  he  soon  laid  the  foundations  of 
an  estate  which  enabled  him  to  become  one  of  the  most  mu- 
nificent and  useful  philanthropists  of  his  day.  In  a  sermon 
on  The  Influence  of  the  Dead  upon  the  Living,  preached  by 
Dr.  William  Adams,  his  pastor  for  a  third  of  a  century,  first 
in  the  old  Broome  Street  Church  and  then  in  the  Madison 
Square  Presbyterian  Church,  he  is  thus  referred  to: ^ — 

Within  a  few  days  a  member  of  this  church,  a  man  of  such  mod- 
est habits  that  he  would  have  shrunk  from  the  public  mention  of 
his  own  name,  Mr.  John  C.  Baldwin,  has  been  removed  by  death. 
For  more  than  thirty  years,  as  his  pastor,  I  have  known  hira  as  an 
humble,  unpretending,  sincere  Christian.  After  all  he  had  done  in 
dispensing  chanty  after  the  ordinai-y  manner  of  our  times  through- 
out his  life,  fifteen  years  ago  he  set  himself  resolutel}^  about  the 
matter  of  executing  his  own  wiU.  Convinced  of  the  great  impor- 
tance of  our  colleges,  our  seminaries,  our  hospitals  and  asylums, 
and  all  agencies  connected  with  humanity,  learning,  and  religion, 
he  distributed  his  property  among  them  according  to  a  most  intelli- 
gent judgment.  Not  to  mention  gifts  to  kuidred  and  friends,  for 
whom  he  has  done  all  that  kindness  could  suggest,  he  has  within 
the  period  of  time  I  have  mentioned  given  to  public  institutions  in 
our  citv  and  countrj',  within  my  own  knowledge,  between  eight  and 
nine  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Think  now  how  this  man  of  infirm 
health,  long  struggling  with  disease,  has  perpetuated  his  life  and 
influence  on  earth.  And  this,  you  will  observe,  was  not  the  dis- 
position of  property  on  compulsion,  when  death  was  about  to  wring 
from  his  hands  what  he  could  hold  no  longer,  but  the  action  of  one 
resolved  to  be  liis  own  executor,  instead  of  leaving  his  recorded 
will  to  contingencies  and  uncertainty  and  foilurc. 

In  another  notice  of  Mr.  Baldwin's  death,  also  written  prob- 
ably by  Dr.  Adams,  occurs  this  passage  :  — 


186  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

The  influence  of  this  good  man,  from  the  seed  planted  in  very 
many  of  our  educational  and  philanthropic  institutions,  will  be  felt 
for  ages  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  instruction  of  the  j'outh  of  our 
land,  as  well  as  in  the  healing  mercies  of  the  afflicted.  He  lived  to 
see  much  fruit  of  his  good  works.  Those  who  have  known  him  for 
the  last  five  3'ears  have  witnessed  a  life  which  seemed  prolonged 
onlj'  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  a  true  Christian  stewardship  of 
propert}'.  His  benevolence  was  of  a  kind  which  did  not  require  to 
be  bunted  out.  He  would  often  send  for  the  secretary  of  some 
board,  and  pa}'  over  to  him  a  thousand  or  fifteen  hundred  dollars, 
besides  sending  the  same  amount  to  some  other  charitable  insti- 
tution. After  he  had  only  strength  enough  to  sit  up  in  his  bed 
and  count  out  coupons  or  sign  checks,  and  make  his  brief  memo- 
randa while  some  one  held  his  inkstand,  serenely  contemplating 
his  own  end  as  likelj'  to  come  at  any  time,  he  appeared  onl}-  anxious 
to  dispose  of  his  earthl}'  substance  in  such  a  way  as  to  accomplish 
most  for  truth  and  humanit}-.  Had  one  so  feeble  clung  to  his  pos- 
sessions as  an  idol,  the}^  would  have  been  a  sad  mockery  of  his 
increasing  weakness ;  but  as  he  employed  them,  they  were  the  ver}' 
sinews  of  moral  power.  From  his  silent  sick-room  he  sent  forth 
influences  which  made  glad  the  waste  places  far  and  wide. 

It  is  estimated  that  Mr.  Baldwin  dispensed,  chiefly  before  his 
death,  considerably  over  a  million  of  dollars.  He  gave  more 
than  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  and  was  the  founder  of  its  "  Baldwin  Professor- 
ship of  Sacred  Literature."  I  find  it  stated  that  he  gave 
twenty  thousand  dollars  to  endow  the  presidency  of  Wabash 
College ;  that  he  contributed  ten  thousand  dollars  to  Hamil- 
ton College,  and  that  to  Middlebury,  Williams,  Hamilton,  and 
Wabash  Colleges  he  bequeathed  not  less  than  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

I  served  with  Mr.  Baldwin  on  important  committees  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  and  formed  the  highest  opinion  of  his 
character  and  his  wisdom.  He  was  indeed  a  true  philanthro- 
pist, deeply  impressed  with  the  feeling  that  life  is  a  sacred 
trust,  and  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  it  in  furtherance  of 
Christian  truth  and  righteousness  in  the  world.     It  is  very 


JONATHAN  B.  CONDIT.  187 

pleasant  to  pay  this  tribute  to  the  memory  of  so  modest  and 
good  a  man. 

Rev.  W.  H.  Bidwell  (1850-1857)  was  born  at  Farmington, 
Conn.,  June  21,  1798.  Graduating  at  Yale  College  in  1827, 
he  studied  theology  there,  and  in  18B3  became  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church  at  Medfield,  Mass.  In  1838,  his  voice 
failing  him,  he  resigned  and  removed  to  Philadelphia,  where 
he  started  the  American  National  Preacher,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  publish  for  nineteen  years.  From  1843  to  1855  he 
was  editor  and  proprietor  of  The  New  York  Evangelist.  In 
1846  he  became  proprietor  of  the  Eclectic  Magazine  and  Bib- 
lical Repository,  and  in  1860  of  the  American  Theological 
Review.  After  the  war,  he  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Seward 
United  States  special  commissioner  to  visit  various  points  in 
Western  Asia.  He  died  on  September  11,  1880.  Mr.  Bidwell 
showed  no  little  skill  and  versatility  in  his  various  literary 
undertakings.  He  was  of  an  excellent  spirit,  and  as  an  editor 
did  good  service  to  the  cause  of  truth  and  piety. 

Jonathan  B.  Condit,  D.D.,  (1848-1851,)  was  born  at 
Hanover,  N.  J.,  December  16,  1808.  He  pursued  both  his 
collegiate  and  theological  studies  at  Princeton.  In  1830  he 
was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Newark.  He 
served  successively  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church 
at  Longmeadow,  Mass. ;  as  Professor  of  Rhetoric  in  Am- 
herst College ;  as  Pastor  of  the  Second  Parish  in  Portland, 
Me.;  as  Pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  New- 
ark, N.  J.;  as  Professor  of  Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Pastoral 
Theology  in  Lane  Seminary  (1851-1855)  ;  and  as  Professor  of 
the  same  branches  in  Auburn  Theological  Seminary  (1855- 
1874).  In  1861  he  was  elected  moderator  of  the  New  School 
General  Assembly.  He  died  at  Auburn,  January  1,  1876,  in 
the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age.     Dr.  Condit  was  a  man  of 


188  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

very  attractive  qualities,  a  gifted  preacher,  a  thoughtful,  culti- 
vated theologian,  and  a  faithful  servant  of  Christ. 

Joseph  C.  Stiles,  D.  D.,  (1848-1852,)  was  born  in  Savan- 
nah, Ga.,  December  6,  1795.  Graduating  at  Yale  College  in 
1811,  he  studied  law  at  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  entered  upon 
a  professional  career  in  his  native  town,  which  promised  to 
be  brilliant  and  successful.  In  1822  he  left  the  law  for  the 
study  of  divinity,  which  he  pursued  at  Andover  Theological 
Seminary.  Ordained  in  1826,  he  labored  for  eight  or  nine 
years  as  an  evangelist,  chiefly  at  his  own  charges,  in  the  low 
country  of  Georgia  and  in  Florida,  reviving  old  churches  and 
organizing  new  ones.  In  1835  he  removed  to  Kentucky,  and 
spent  nine  years  in  the  West,  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
exciting  theological  debates  then  the  order  of  the  day,  as 
well  as  preaching  the  Gospel.  In  1814  he  became  pastor  of 
what  was  then  the  ShockoeHill  Presbyterian  Church,  at  Rich- 
mond, Va.  Four  years  later  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Mercer 
Street  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  city  of  New  York.  His 
health  failing,  he  resigned  and  returned  to  the  South  as  gen- 
eral agent  of  the  American  Bible  Society.  In  1853  he  took 
charge  of  the  South  Church,  New  Haven,  Conn.  Later,  he 
organized  and  devoted  himself  for  several  years  to  the  service 
of  the  Southern  Aid  Society,  whose  object  was  to  help  feeble 
churches  in  the  Slave  States.  During  the  closing  years  of 
his  life  he  labored  as  an  evangelist  in  Georgia,  Virginia,  Ala- 
bama, Florida,  Mississippi,  Missouri,  and  Maryland.  He  died 
on  Marcli  27,  1875,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Stiles  was  a  splendid  specimen  of  Christian  manhood, 
whole-souled,  courageous,  unselfish,  of  indomitable  energy,  yet 
gentle,  tender-hearted,  and  full  of  loving  sympathies.  As  a 
popular  preacher  and  evangelist,  he  stood  in  the  front  rank. 
At  times  the  effect  of  his  eloquence  was  marvellous ;  for  it 
combined  in  an  uncommon  degree  intellectual  power,  impas- 
sioned feeling,  and  that  spiritual  unction  which  comes  of  inti- 


JOHN  ALFRED  DAVENPORT.  189 

mate  communion  with  God  and  a  deep  personal  experience  of 
His  saving  grace  and  love  in  Jesus  Christ. 

John  Alfred  Davenport  (1851-1858)  was  born  in  Stam- 
ford, Conn.,  June  24,  1783.  He  sprang  from  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  honored  Puritan  stocks  in  New  England,  being  a 
lineal  descendant  of  the  Rev.  John  Davenport,  the  founder  and 
patriarch  of  New  Haven.  His  father.  Major  John  Davenport 
of  Stamford,  was  a  Revolutionary  patriot,  and  for  many  years 
one  of  the  Representatives  of  Connecticut  in  the  American 
Congress.  The  name  of  his  grandfather,  Colonel  Abraham 
Davenport,  "  a  rough  diamond  "  as  he  was  often  styled,  is 
famous  in  Connecticut  annals.  Governor  Trumbull  and  Gen- 
eral Washington  always  consulted  him  in  the  most  trying 
days  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  public  spirit,  his  con- 
siderate and  large-hearted  benevolence,  his  culture,  good  sense, 
sagacity,  and  plain,  homely  virtues,  rendered  him  one  of  the 
remarkable  men  of  his  time. 

President  Dwight,  in  his  Travels,  gives  two  instances 
of  Colonel  Davenport's  extraordinary  firmness.  The  19th 
of  May,  1780,  was  long  remembered  as  "  the  Dark  Day." 
Candles  were  lighted  in  many  houses ;  the  birds  were  silent 
and  disappeared  ;  the  fowls  retired  to  roost.  The  Legislature 
of  Connecticut  was  then  in  session  at  Hartford.  A  very 
general  opinion  prevailed  that  the  day  of  judgment  was  at 
hand.  The  House  of  Representatives,  being  unable  to  trans- 
act their  business,  adjourned.  A  proposal  to  adjourn  the 
Council  was  under  consideration.  When  the  opinion  of 
Colonel  Davenport,  one  of  its  members,  was  asked,  he  an- 
swered, "  I  am  against  an  adjournment.  The  day  of  judg- 
ment is  either  approaching,  or  it  is  not.  If  it  is  not,  there 
is  no  cause  for  an  adjournment ;  if  it  is,  I  choose  to  be  found 
doing  my  duty.  I  wish,  therefore,  that  candles  may  be 
brought."  This  is  the  incident  so  happily  commemorated 
by  Whittier  in  his  poem  entitled  Abraham,  Davenjyort:  — 


190  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

And  there  he  stands  in  memory  to  this  day, 
Erect,  self-poised,  a  rugged  face,  half  seen 
Against  the  back-ground  of  unnatural  dark, 
A  witness  to  the  ages  as  they  pass, 
That  simple  duty  hath  no  place  for  fear. 

The  other  instance  took  place  at  Danbury,  at  the  court  of 
Common  Pleas,  of  which  he  was  Chief  Justice.  This  vener- 
able man,  after  he  was  struck  with  death,  heard  a  considerable 
part  of  a  trial ;  gave  the  charge  to  the  jury  ;  and  took  notice 
of  an  article  in  the  testimony  which  had  escaped  the  attention 
of  the  counsel  on  both  sides.  He  then  retired  from  the  bench, 
and  was  soon  after  found  dead  in  his  bed.  Of  his  country 
and  of  all  its  great  interests,  adds  President  Dwight,  he  was 
a  pillar  of  granite. 

With  such  an  ancestry,  it  is  no  wonder  that  John  Alfred 
Davenport  was  himself  a  man  of  marked  traits.  And  his 
whole  training  had  been  fitted  to  bring  out  and  strengthen 
these  native  traits.  He  entered  Yale  College  in  1802,  —  a 
year  memorable  in  the  religious  history  of  the  institution,  as 
well  as  his  own.  Among  his  fellow  students  were  Jeremiah 
Evarts,  Pelatiah  Perit,  and  others,  who  in  their  day  became 
eminent  in  business  and  in  public  life.  Dr.  Dwight's  acces- 
sion to  the  presidency  was  one  of  the  most  important  events 
in  its  annals.  A  great  spiritual  awakening  followed  his  com- 
ing. At  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  supper  on  Sep- 
tember 1,  1801,  there  was  not  a  single  undergraduate  among 
the  communicants.  A  year  later,  twenty-five  members  of  the 
graduating  class,  with  many  from  the  other  classes,  sat  down 
together  at  the  table  of  the  Lord.  One  third  of  the  class, 
which  numbered  fifty-six,  became  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 
John  A.  Davenport  was  one  of  those  who  at  this  time  began 
to  follow  Christ. 

Upon  his  graduation  he  came  to  New  York,  and  for  fifty 
years  was  known  among  the  prosperous  merchants  of  the 
city.     His  first  pastor  in  New  York  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  John 


JASPER    CORNING.  191 

M.  Mason,  one  of  the  most  powerful  preachers  of  the  age. 
When  Dr.  Mason  removed  from  the  city,  Dr.  McElroy  became 
his  pastor ;  afterwards  the  Rev.  Mr.  Christmas  of  the  Bowery 
Church,  —  in  which,  as  a  ruling  elder,  he  spent  some  of  the 
most  useful  years  of  his  life.  Later  he  joined  the  Bleecker 
Street  Presbyterian  Church,  serving  it  as  an  elder ;  and  later 
still  removed  to  Brooklyn,  where  he  helped  to  found  the  South 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  the  Rev,  Samuel  T.  Spear  was 
for  many  years  pastor.  He  served  as  an  elder  in  this  church 
also,  was  one  of  its  strong  pillars,  contributed  liberally  to  its 
pecuniary  support,  and  to  the  end  of  his  life  took  a  deep 
interest  in  its  prosperity.  His  closing  days  were  tranquilly 
passed  at  New  Haven,  where  he  died  on  October  11, 1864,  in 
the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age. 

Jasper  Corning  (1851-1852)  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn., 
December  15, 1792.  He  was  trained  in  the  common  school, — 
that  nursery  of  so  many  of  the  most  useful  sons  of  New  Eng- 
land, —  and  while  yet  a  boy  entered  as  a  clerk  the  dry  goods 
store  of  David  L.  Dodge.  In  1811  he  came  to  New  York  as 
clerk  in  the  house  of  Pratt  and  Smith,  Pearl  Street.  Under 
these  employers  he  was  trained  to  be  a  model  business  man, 
accurate,  prompt,  and  faithful  in  the  least,  no  less  than  in  the 
greatest  things.  In  1813  he  became  deeply  exercised  on  the 
subject  of  personal  religion,  and  after  frequent  conference  with 
his  pastor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gardiner  Spring,  united  with  the  Brick 
Church.  In  1817  he  went  to  Buffalo  to  reside.  Later  he  made 
this  brief  record  :  "  I  tried  while  there  to  do  something  in  the 
service  of  my  blessed  Master.  I  super-intended  the  first  Sun- 
day school  establislied  in  that  village,  and  the  first  west  of  the 
Genesee  River."  After  residing  for  several  years  in  Charles- 
ton, S,  C,  and  then  in  New  Orleans,  and  devoting  himself  in 
both  cities  to  earnest  Christian  work,  he  came  to  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  where  as  an  elder  in  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 
then  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Spencer,  he  was  widely 


192  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

known  and  esteemed.  In  1851  Mr.  Corning  removed  to  this 
city,  and  connected  himself  with  the  Madison  Avenue  Pres- 
byterian Church,  of  which  he  also  .became  a  most  exemplary 
and  efficient  ruling  elder.  One  of  his  pastors,  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Bannard,  testifies  that  he  was  unwearied  in  relieving 
the  poor  and  visiting  the  afflicted  ;  like  Job,  he  was  "  eyes  to 
the  blind  and  feet  to  the  lame,  while  he  caused  the  widow's 
heart  to  sing  for  joy."  He  took  a  deep  interest  also  in  all 
forms  of  evangelistic  work,  and  was  for  years  treasurer  of 
the  American  Home  Missionary  Society.  His  punctuality  and 
integrity  of  character  as  a  business  man  were  proverbial. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Scott,  who  had  been  his  pastor  in  New  Or- 
leans, said  at  his  funeral :  "  Wall  Street  has  lost  one  of  its 
purest  and  most  honored  names  ;  and  I  verily  believe,  if  it  had 
been  necessary  to  call  ten  righteous  men  to  save  the  city, 
Jasper  Corning  would  have  been  one  of  them."  Mr.  Corning 
died  in  the  peace  and  hope  of  the  Gospel,  on  November  16, 
1869,  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

Alfred  E.  Campbell,  D.  D.,  (1852-1859,)  was  born  in 
Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y.,  in  January,  1802.  Graduating  at  Union 
College  in  1820,  he  pursued  his  theological  studies  at  Prince- 
ton, and  was  then  settled  successively  at  Worcester,  Newark, 
Palmyra,  Ithaca,  and  Cooperstown.  At  the  last  place  he 
labored  with  much  acceptance  for  twelve  years.  In  1848  he 
became  pastor  of  the  Spring  Street  Church  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  and  in  1858,  secretary  of  the  American  and 
Foreign  Christian  Union.  He  died  on  December  28,  1874. 
Dr.  Campbell  was  a  genial,  warm-hearted  man,  kind,  sym- 
pathetic, beloved  by  his  ministerial  brethren,  and  a  useful 
servant  of  Christ  in  his  day  and  generation. 

Joseph  Fewsmith,  D.D.,  (1852-1888,)  was  born  in  Pliila- 
delphia,  January  7,  1816.  Graduating  at  Yale  College  in 
1840,  he  studied  theology  under  Dr.  Laurens  P.  Hickok  at 


I 


JOSEPH  FEWSMiriL  193 

Western  Reserve  College,  became  pastor  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  at  Valatic,  N.  Y.,  in  1841,  and  in  1843  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Winchester,  Va.  In  1848  he  was 
appointed  to  the  chair  of  Homiletics  and  Pastoral  Theology  in 
the  Auburn  Theological  Seminary.  In  1851  he  accepted  a  call 
to  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Newark,  N.  J.,  where  he 
remained  in  active  service  until  his  death,  on  June  22,  1888. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  German  Theological  Semi- 
nary at  Bloomfield,  N.  J. ;  was  long  president  of  the  Board  of 
Church  Erection ;  and  a  Director  for  thirty-six  years  of  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary.  The  character  of  this  emi- 
nently wise  and  good  man  is  very  happily  delineated  in  the 
following  tribute  to  his  memory  by  the  Rev.  W.  C.  Stitt,  D.  D., 
of  New  York  :  — 

It  was  more  in  the  balance  of  many  excellent  qualities  than  in 
the  prominence  of  an}-  single  trait,  that  we  can  find  the  reason  for 
his  undoubted  eminence  in  his  profession.  With  a  dignified  carriage 
and  pleasing  presence,  a  voice  that  was  grateful  to  the  ear  and 
especially  adapted  to  tlie  solemn  utterance  of  sacred  truth,  a  piety 
undoubted,  a  robust  common  sense,  a  delicate  and  sensitive  re- 
gard to  the  refinements  and  courtesies  of  life,  an  excellent  mind, 
well  stored  and  trained,  and  a  sympathetic  nature,  he  had  ele- 
ments of  success  combined  in  a  wav  to  secure  it.  As  a  preacher, 
he  was  simple,  solid,  solemn,  earnest,  spiritual,  edifying,  clinging 
closely  to  the  cross  and  its  tenderest  teachings.  He  often  so  im- 
pressed his  people  by  a  sermon  in  the  ordinary  course  of  his  minis- 
trations, as  to  convince  them  of  its  usefulness  in  a  printed  form, 
and  to  force  them  to  call  for  its  publication.  In  public  prayer  he 
was  full  of  unction.  As  a  pastor,  he  reached  his  highest  eminence, 
knowing  when  to  speak  and  what  to  sa}'  to  families  in  their  sorrows 
and  trials,  to  individuals  in  their  temptations,  business  worries, 
and  various  burdens.  In  times  of  religious  interest  his  power  was 
felt  in  the  whole  community ;  and  the  absolute  confidence  always 
felt  in  his  sincerity,  opened  the  door  wide  to  his  influence  in  pra^'er 
and  speech  in  his  own  church  or  in  union  services  elsewhere.  In 
the  conduct  of  funeral  services  perhaps  Dr.  Fewsmith  had  no  su- 
perior. In  purit}'  of  taste,  in  the  variety  of  his  utterance,  in  his 
perfect  tact  and  his  wise  self- restrained  fidelity  to  God's  word,  in  his 

13 


194  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

power  to  search  the  conscience  without  personal  offence,  and  above 
all,  in  the  deep  spirituality  of  his  consolation  of  the  bereaved,  he 
was  an  acknowledged  master. 

On  occasions  he  would  abandon  his  manuscript,  and  the  quiet 
dignity  of  delivery  which  usually  accompanied  it,  and  flame  forth 
with  a  nobility  of  diction,  power  of  thought,  and  intensity  of  emo- 
tion, which  made  us  feel  that  he  had  a  vocation  to  the  extem- 
poraneous form  of  preaching  which  he  ought  to  have  heard  and 
heeded.  His  culture  was  so  complete,  his  vocabulary  so  full  and 
chaste,  his  taste  so  perfect,  his  Ufe  so  prayerful  and  earnest,  his 
voice  so  well  controlled,  and  so  powerful  and  pathetic  under  the 
stress  of  strong  emotion,  that  we  cannot  but  feel  that  it  was  a 
mistaken  judgment  on  his  part,  or  an  unfortunate  timiditj-  of  tem- 
perament, that  prevented  his  becoming  what  lay  within  the  scope 
of  his  gracious  and  natural  endowments,  namel}-,  one  of  the  best 
extemporaneous  preachers  of  the  day. 

His  dying  was  ideal.  On  the  evening  of  June  21,  the  session 
of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  wailed  on  him  and  acquainted 
him  with  a  resolution  the}'  had  passed  to  extend  his  vacation  until 
October  1st,  in  the  hope  that  his  health  would  be  recruited,  and 
his  wonted  tone  recovered.  He  was  much  pleased,  but  cheerfully 
added  that  he  hoped  to  resume  his  duties  earlier  than  the  date 
named.  The  next  morning,  while  dressing,  he  was  attacked  b}'- 
apoplexy,  and  clasping  his  wife's  hand  and  uttering  the  words  "  God 
be  with  you  !  "  he  passed  in  a  few  minutes  into  the  rest  of  heaven. 
After  a  long  pastorate  among  a  people  who  prized  him  as  the  best 
of  men,  after  building  a  magnificent  sanctuary  in  the  last  year  of 
his  ministry,  after  entering  a  new  parsonage  built  with  a  view  to 
his  personal  comfort,  in  the  fulness  of  his  j-ears,  without  iniinful 
decay  of  body  or  mind,  he  suddenly  is  not,  for  God  has  taken  him 
with  his  harness  on.  He  is  missed  and  mourned  not  only  by  the 
church  he  served,  but  also  hy  Christians  of  every  name  and  by 
citizens  of  ever}'  class  in  the  city  of  Newark. 

Dr.  Fewsmitli's  last  public  service  to  the  Seminary  was 
giving  the  charge  to  Professor  Schaff  upon  his  inauguration 
as  the  successor  of  Dr.  Hitchcock  in  the  chair  of  Churcli  His- 
tory. Like  all  his  public  utterances,  it  was  sensible,  appro- 
priate, and  in  excellent  taste.  Asa  member  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  he  was  a  model  of  punctuality  and  faithful  service. 


JAMES  BOORMAN.  195 

James  Boorman  (1852-18GG^  was  born  in  Kenf,  Enjjland, 
in  1783.     In  1795  he  came  to  this  country  and  was  appren- 
ticed to  Davie  Bcthune,  a  noted  mercliant  of  that  day  and 
father  of  the  celebrated  divine  and  pulpit  orator,  Dr.  George 
W.  Bethune.     In  1805,  on  coming  of  age,  he  was  taken  into 
partnership  with  Mr.  Betlmne.     Eight  years  later,  in  1813, 
the  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  he  founded  the   firm   of 
Boorman  and  Johnston.     For  a  long  time  after  its  forma- 
tion, this  house  enjoyed  a  virtual  monopoly  of  the  Dundee 
trade.     At  a  later  period,  it  introduced  the  iron  of  Sweden 
into  the  American  market,  and  for  many  years  stood  at  the 
head  of  the  iron  trade  of  New  York.      It   carried  on  also 
large  dealings  in  Virginia  tobacco.     For  more  than  half  a 
century  it  ranked    among  the  most  stable,  prosperous,  and 
honored  firms  in  the  city.     In  1839  Mr.  Boorman  founded  the 
Bank  of  Commerce,  and  his  name  stands  first  on  the  list  of 
the  original  board  of  directors  of  that  institution.     For  many 
years  he  was  one  of  the  most  active  and  influential  members 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.     But  his  greatest  service  and 
achievement  were  in  the  planning  and  construction  of  the 
Hudson  River  Railroad.     This  work  is  an  enduring  monu- 
ment of  his  sagacity,  enterprise,  and  perseverance.    There  was 
at  the  time  no  railroad  connection  between  this  city  and  the 
State  capital,  and  the  North  River  was  closed,  on  an  average, 
more  than  one  hundred  days  each  year.     It  is  doubtful  if  any 
other  New  York  merchant  could  have  carried  tlirough  this 
formidable  undertaking  with  the  indomitable  energy  and  de- 
termination which  Mr.  Boorman  put  into  it.     He  was  one  of 
the  original  corporators,  and  for  a  long  time  president,  of  the 
Hudson  River  Railroad  Company.     In  1855  he  retired  from 
business  witli  a  record  unspotted   by  any  suspicion  of  other 
than  upright  dealing.     He  departed  this  life  on  the  24th  of 
January,  1866,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Boorman  commenced  his  Christian  life  wliile  a  member 
of  the  Laight  Street  congregation,  then  under   the  pastoral 


196  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

care  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  S.  H.  Cox.  I  once  heard  from  the  lips 
of  Dr.  Cox  a  deeply  interesting  account  of  his  conversion. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  self-restraint,  undemonstrative,  and 
not  easily  moved.  But  his  exercises  of  mind  on  this  occasion 
stirred  him  to  the  depths  of  his  being :  he  confessed  himself 
a  lost  sinner,  and  accepted  Christ  as  his  Saviour  with  the 
ingenuousness  and  simj)licity  of  a  child ;  and  his  whole  sub- 
sequent course  showed  how  sincerely  and  thoroughly  he  gave 
himself  up  to  the  service  of  God.  Accustomed  to  take  large 
views  in  the  sphere  of  business  and  worldly  affairs,  he  carried 
the  same  habit  of  mind  into  religion.  His  charities  embraced 
the  principal  organizations  of  benevolence,  both  in  the  city 
and  country  ;  they  were  numerous,  constant,  discriminating, 
and  often  on  a  very  liberal  scale.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest 
members  of  the  Mercer  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  and  con- 
tinued in  its  fellowship  until  his  death.  Its  successive  pastors 
were  sustained  and  cheered  by  his  steadfast  friendship,  his 
wise  counsels  and  his  unfailing  generosity.  He  was  very  con- 
servative in  his  sentiments,  both  theological  and  political,  — 
more  so  at  times  than  his  minister;  but  while  decided  in  his 
own  views,  he  respected  an  honest  difference  of  opinion  and 
was  a  parishioner  to  be  trusted  and  leaned  upon.  He  was 
especially  conservative  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  and  looked 
with  strong  disfavor  upon  the  whole  Abolition  movement, 
as  well  as  its  leaders  and  supporters.  This  was  owing  in 
part,  no  doubt,  to  his  early  and  intimate  business  relations 
with  the  South.  The  so-called  "  Southern  Aid  Society,"  of 
which  he  was  president,  was  largely  sustained  by  his  lib- 
erality. He  did  not  cease  to  cherish  to  the  last  the  memory 
of  his  old  friends  in  Virginia.  No  sooner  was  the  war  over 
than  his  charities  began  again  to  flow  South.  In  a  letter  to 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Read  of  Richmond,  dated  only  a  few  weeks  be- 
fore his  death,  he  writes  :  — 

Your  application  to  me  for  aid  in  rebuilding  the  place  of  worshii) 
of  the  "  United  Presbyterian  Church,"  which  was  destroyed  by  fire 


JAMES  BOOKMAN.  197 

on  the  evacufition  of  the  cit}'  hy  W\o.  Con fode rate  army,  has  led  my 
mind  vividly  back  to  reminiscences  of  the  mercantile  men  who 
occupied  that  field  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  and  of 
many  of  their  successors  in  later  years,  to  whose  patronage  and 
confidence  as  their  commercial  agent  here  1  am  in  no  small  de- 
gree indebted  for  my  success  in  the  pursuit  to  which  Providence 
directed  me. 

Referring  to  the  pleasure  with  which  he  had  subscribed 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  to  aid  in  rebuilding  the  church  edifice, 
he  adds : — 

The  desolation  of  your  beautiful  city  must  have  left  many  of 
your  population  in  destitution  and  want ;  permit  me,  therefore,  to 
hand  you  the  enclosed  check  for  one  thousand  dollars  to  your  or- 
der, with  the  request  that  you,  in  conjunction  with  your  trustees, 
will  apply  it,  as  need  and  opportunit3-  offer,  to  the  relief  of  such 
subjects  of  want  as  your  discretion  may  dictate. 

I  have  spoken  in  the  Address  of  the  Davenport  Professor- 
ship which  he  founded.  The  following  extract  from  a  letter 
to  the  Board  of  Directors,  dated  April  25,  1853,  affords  a 
beautiful  comment  upon  his  motive  in  founding  it :  — 

There  are  few  families  in  which  the  inestimable  benefits  of  Gos- 
pel nurture  have  been  more  practically  developed  than  in  that  of 
the  Rev.  John  Davenport,  the  first  minister  of  New  Haven.  Mrs. 
Boorman  is  descended  from  him  in  a  direct  fine.  I  have  for  some 
time  past  had  a  desire  to  evince  mj'  respect  for  and  veneration  of 
the  name  by  some  permanent  testimonial  of  the  grateful  sense  I 
have  felt  to  the  kind  Providence  which  brought  me  in  connection 
with  it.  I  think  the  present  a  fitting  opportunity'.  I  therefore 
propose  to  raise  my  subscription  to  the  endowment  fund  of  the 
Seminary  now  in  progress  to  the  sum  of  twent\'  thousand  dollars, 
on  condition  that  my  contribution  of  one  thousand  dollars  per 
annum  during  the  last  five  years,  be  deemed  by  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors such  a  compliance  with  Art.  VI.  as  to  entitle  me  to  exercise 
the  privilege  of  naming  a  Professorship. 

By  his  marriage  Mr.  Boorman  was  brought  into  peculiarly 
close  relations  with  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  for  whom  his 


198  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

esteem  and  affection  were  very  great.  To  this  esteem  and 
affection  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  is  in  no  small 
degree  indebted  for  his  strong  and  effective  interest  in  its 
prosperity. 

Anson  G.  Phelps,  Jr.,  (1852-1858,)  was  born  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  October  18,  1818.  He  was  the  fifth  child  and 
only  son  of  Anson  G.  Phelps  and  Olivia,  his  wife.  At  the 
age  of  eight  years  he  was  placed  in  the  school  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Stebbins  at  West  Haven,  Conn.  In  1830  he  was  sent  to  the 
school  of  Mr.  Ely  of  South  Hadley,  Mass.  He  became  much 
attached  to  this  spot,  the  picturesque  beauty  of  the  scenery 
making  upon  him  a  vivid  impression.  He  regarded  South 
Hadley  also  as  the  birthplace  of  his  new  life  in  Christ.  In 
1833  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  a  visit  to  Europe.  After 
his  return,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  entered  his  father's  office, 
and  began  a  mercantile  career.  But  he  never  engaged  in  it 
with  enthusiasm.  Other  interests  lay  nearer  his  heart  and 
occupied  much  of  his  thought  and  time.  He  was  passion- 
ately devoted  to  music,  which  he  studied  at  home  and  abroad. 
He  had  a  special  delight  in  the  organ,  which  he  played  upon 
often  late  into  the  night.  He  delighted  also  in  books,  and 
collected  a  fine  libraiy  of  his  own.  At  its  organization,  in 
1835,  the  family  became  connected  with  the  Mercer  Street 
Presbyterian  Church,  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Dr. 
Skinner.  In  1840,  in  consequence  of  ill-health,  Anson  revis- 
ited Europe,  and  remained  abroad  a  year.  A  part  of  the  time 
was  spent  in  France,  and  in  travel  through  the  East.  Wher- 
ever he  went,  he  sought  out  the  libraries  and  heard  all  the 
best  music.  The  old  church  music,  to  which  he  devoted  spe- 
cial study,  entranced  him.  Indeed,  had  he  simply  followed 
his  own  impulse,  he  would  willingly  have  remained  abroad  for 
years,  giving  himself  up  to  the  culture  and  gratification  of  his 
aesthetical  tastes.  On  returning  to  his  native  land,  he  resumed 
his  place  in  the  firm  of  Phelps,  Dodge,  &  Co.     In  November, 


ANSON  G.  PHELPS,  JR.  199 

1845,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jane  Gibson,  of  New  York,  a 
union  full  of  blessing  to  him. 

For  some  time  after  his  return  from  Europe,  Mr.  Phelps's 
religious  life  seemed  to  be  in  a  state  of  eclipse.  He  passed 
through  a  season  of  great  spiritual  apathy  and  trial.  But 
when,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  he  at  length  emerged  from  it, 
his  path  was  thenceforth  like  "  the  shining  light  that  shineth 
more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day."  The  last  ten  years  of 
his  life  were  marked  by  a  pious  zeal  and  self-devotion  of  the 
rarest  type,  and  were  crowded  with  usefulness.  He  became 
known  all  over  the  land,  and  even  beyond  the  sea,  as  a  Chris- 
tian philanthropist.  He  passed  away  from  earth  very  sud- 
denly, on  May  18,  1858.  The  funeral  services  were  held  in 
the  Mercer  Street  Presbyterian  Church  on  May  20,  and  such 
eminent  ministers  of  Christ  as  the  Rev.  Drs.  Thomas  DeWitt, 
Asa  D.  Smith,  George  W.  Bethune,  and  William  Adams  took 
part  in  them,  and  gave  expression  to  the  sentiment  of  mingled 
affection  and  sorrow  which  pervaded  the  community.  Mr. 
Phelps's  benevolence,  like  his  piety,  was  of  the  most  catholic 
sort,  and  embraced  so  large  a  number  of  objects  that  it  would 
require  no  little  space  barely  to  enumerate  them.  But  his 
services  to  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  deserve  special 
mention  in  this  sketch  of  his  life.  The  following  account  is 
taken  from  a  memoir  written  by  his  friend,  Prof.  Henry  B. 
Smith,  and  printed  not  long  after  his  death. 

In  1851  it  became  necessary  to  make  decided  efforts  to  relieve 
the  Seminary  from  pecuniary  embarrassments.  Dr.  Prentiss  and  his 
church  were  thoronghly  enlisted  in  this  work  ;  that  chnrch  from  first 
to  last  has  been  as  a  staff  to  this  institution,  ever  ready  to  help  it 
in  its  emergencies,  and  contributing  about  one  third  of  its  perma- 
nent endowment.  Mr.  Phelps,  not  only  by  his  money,  but  also  by 
his  active  efforts,  largely  aided  in  securing  this  result.  He  gave  in 
all,  during  his  life,  not  less  than  eighteen  thousand  dollars,  besides 
occasional  aid  to  temporary  objects.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
committee  appointed  in   February,   1852,  at  a  meeting  called  at 


200  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

the  house  of  Charles  Butler,  Esq.,  to  procure  an  endowment  of 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  Institution,  and  obtained  sev- 
eral large  subscriptions  to  it.  When  it  was  found  that  seven  thou- 
sand dollars  were  needed  to  complete  the  amount  and  make  the 
subscription  binding,  he  promptly-  added  thirty-five  hundred  dollars 
to  his  original  subscription.  The  sum  was  made  up,  and  the  largest 
donor  then  added  three  thousand  dollars  to  his  subscription.  All 
the  students'  rooms  in  the  Seminary  were  furnished  at  his  sole 
charge.  The  second  subscription,  begun  in  1856,  to  raise  the  en- 
dowment to  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  was  started  at  his  house  ; 
to  this  he  subscribed  five  thousand  dollars.  To  the  Library-  and  to 
the  students  he  made  occasional  donations  of  books.  At  the  period 
of  the  severe  mercantile  pressure  of  1857,  when  the  students  were 
in  great  need,  and  when  he  himself  was  pressed  by  numerous  en- 
gagements, he  gave  during  the  winter  about  fifteen  hundred  dol- 
lars for  their  relief,  and  for  the  furnishing  of  their  rooms.  The 
annual  bills  for  repairs  sometimes  passed  through  his  hands,  and 
he  would  not  allow  them  to  go  to  the  treasurer.  A  casual  allusion, 
in  a  report  upon  the  Librar}',  to  the  need  of  a  fire-proof  building 
for  the  security  of  this  invaluable  collection  (the  Van  Ess),  led  him 
at  once,  as  appears  from  the  dates,  with  cliaracteristic  promptitude, 
to  put  into  his  will  a  noble  bequest  of  tliirty  thousand  dollars  for 
that  object.  ...  To  the  annual  collection  in  the  Mercer  Street 
Church  for  the  current  expenses  of  the  institution,  he  also  made 
liberal  contributions.  In  him  the  Seminary  deplores  the  loss  of  one 
of  its  best  and  wisest  friends.  The  Rev.  Joseph  S.  Gallagher,  to 
whom  the  Seminary  is  under  such  invaluable  obligations  for  his  wis- 
dom and  energy  in  completing  its  endowments,  says  :  "  My  labor  in 
connection  with  the  Seminary  is  self-denying  and  trying  to  my  sen- 
sibilities ;  and  I  owe  more  to  the  sympathy,  counsel,  encouragement, 
and  aid  of  Mr.  Phelps,  for  whatever  success  I  have  had,  than  it  is 
possible  to  describe.  I  never  had  occasion  to  solicit  his  benefac- 
tions, for  they  were  always  volunteered  with  the  greatest  clieerful- 
ness.  I  admired  him  as  a  Christian  philanthropist,  as  a  man  of  great 
discrimination  and  solid  judgment,  and  I  loved  him  as  a  friend  and 
a  brother.  His  example  will  doubtless  do  much  to  stimulate  others 
to  good  works.  A  friend  of  mine,  who,  though  personally  unac- 
quainted with  him,  greatly  admired  him,  soon  after  his  death  saw 
his  name  on  a  subscription  book  for  five  hundred  dollars,  and,  after 
writing  beneath  it,  '  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord,' 


AN  SOX  G.   PHELPS,  JR.  201 

subscribed  a  like  amount.  At  the  close  of  the  Seminary  term  in 
May,  1858,  only  a  week  or  two  before  his  lamented  death,  I  called 
to  thank  him  for  his  liberal  benefactions,  saying  I  did  not  know  how 
we  should  have  got  through  the  year  without  him,  when  he  replied 
with  great  seriousness  and  humility,  '  O,  my  friend,  if  1  should  be 
taken  away,  God  would  raise  up  others,  who  would  do  far  more  for 
this  object  than  I  have  ever  been  able  to  do.'  On  this  occasion 
he  advised  me  to  take  some  recreation  the  ensuing  summer,  that 
I  might  be  prepared  in  the  autumn  to  resume  the  etlbrts  to  com- 
plete the  endowment,  (which  had  been  suspended  for  a  year  on 
account  of  the  monetary  crisis  of  1857,)  saying  that  he  would 
make  an  additional  subscription  of  five  thousand  dollars,  and  hoped 
that  a  friend  he  named  would  do  the  same.  This  was  my  last 
interview  with  him.  God  indeed  took  him  away,  —  took  him  to 
Himself;  and  God  has  indeed  raised  up  others  to  complete  the 
work  which  lay  so  near  his  heart." 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  framing  large  plans  for  future 
beneficence.  One  of  these  cherished  projects  was  that  of  provid- 
ing for  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  not  only  the  completion 
of  its  endowment,  but  also  ampler  accommodations  for  its  growing 
numbers.  He  had  conferences  with  several  of  its  friends  about  its 
removal  to  a  more  eligible  site,  where  suitable  halls  and  rooms 
might  be  provided,  and  had  said,  that,  if  the  ground  were  given  by 
others,  he  would  take  it  upon  himself,  b}*  personal  efforts,  to  see 
to  the  erection  of  the  edifices.  ...  To  many  of  his  friends,  it  will 
be  of  interest  to  know  that  the  institution  to  which  he  made  the 
largest  bequest  in  his  will  was  the  very  first  to  enlist  his  Christian 
sympathy  and  liberality,  after  the  quickening  of  his  religious  life. 
The  first  collection  made  in  the  church,  subsequently  to  this,  was 
in  aid  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary.  And  it  is  characteristic 
of  him,  that  not  even  his  wife  knew  what  he  had  given  until  acci- 
dentally informed  of  the  fact  by  a  third  person.  ''He  was  soon 
afterwards  invited  to  attend  a  meeting  in  behalf  of  the  Seminary 
at  the  Rev.  Dr.  Skinner's  ;  before  he  left  home  he  spent  some  time 
in  prayer,  and  when  he  bade  me  good  by,  he  asked  me  if  I  would 
not  pray  for  the  success  of  the  meeting  while  he  was  gone.  He 
has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  Seminary  ever  since,  rarely  failing 
to  mention  it  in  his  prayers."  These  constant  prayers  testify  to, 
and  in  part  explain,  the  deep  interest  he  felt  in  this  institution, 
which  had  a  foremost  place  in  his  affections. 


202  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

I  cannot  close  this  sketch  of  a  dear  friend  of  my  own,  as 
well  as  a  friend  of  the  Union  Seminary,  without  putting  again 
on  record,  still  unchanged,  a  part  of  the  tribute  which  I  laid 
upon  his  grave  nearly  thirty  years  ago.  The  character  of 
Anson  G.  Phelps,  Jr.  is  one  of  the  jewels  of  our  history. 

It  has  pleased  Almighty  God  suddenly  to  take  from  us  one  who 
was  equally  an  ornament  and  a  pillar  of  our  strength.  None  knew 
him  but  to  honor  and  love  him  ;  while  those  who  knew  him  best 
loved  and  honored  him  with  an  uncommon  affection.  They  were 
themselves  scarcely  aware  of  its  great  depth  and  fervor  until  it 
pursued  him  across  the  immense  chasm  of  the  grave.  He  was  one 
of  those  rare  beings  wliose  existence  is  a  constant  benediction,  but 
who  move  on  through  life  with  such  noiseless  steps,  who  speak  and 
act  in  a  wa}'  so  unpretending,  that,  when  the}'  are  gone,  the  world 
is  astonished  to  find  out  what  a  treasure  it  possessed  in  them.  He 
"put  a  strange  face  on  his  own  perfection."  Nobody  thought  so 
little  of  him  as  he  did  of  himself.  Nobody  has  been  so  surprised 
at  the  exalted  eulogies  pronounced  upon  him  as  he  would  have  been, 
had  they  been  foretold  to  him.  He  shrank  from  mere  publicity, 
as  the  sensitive  plant  shrinks  from  the  rude  touch.  He  avoided 
observation  as  eagerly  as  most  men  run  after  it.  At  the  voice  of 
friendly  praise  and  affection,  I  have  seen  his  countenance  tinged 
with  that  delicate,  pleased,  half-blushing  expression  which  delights 
one  in  the  face  of  a  simple-hearted  girl.  I  never  knew  a  man  whose 
conduct  was  a  fairer  illustration  of  the  sacred  precepts,  which  bid 
us  not  to  think  more  highly  of  ourselves  than  we  ought  to  think, 
to  esteem  others  better  than  ourselves,  and  in  the  performance 
of  our  good  deeds  not  to  sound  a  trumpet  before  us,  nor  to  let 
our  left  hand  know  what  our  right  hand  doeth.  Obedience  to 
these  and  similar  precepts  was  with  him  instinctive.  It  seemed  to 
cost  him  no  more  effort  than  it  costs  the  lark  to  sing,  or  the  stars 
to  shine. 

Hardly  another  man  of  his  age,  in  this  city  or  in  this  whole  land, 
was  so  identified  with  some  of  our  most  important  Christian  inter- 
ests ;  and  yet  it  would  have  been  next  to  impossible  to  make  him 
believe  it.  Hardl}'  another  man  of  his  age  among  us  gave  to  re- 
ligious and  philanthropic  objects  with  so  princely  a  hand  ;  and  yet  I 
do  not  suppose  he  prided  himself  upon  his  charities  one  iota  more 


WALTER   SCOTT  GRIFFITH.  203 

than  the  poor  widow,  who,  all  ui^aware  that  the  Son  of  God  was 
looking  on,  cast  into  the  treasury  her  two  mites,  which  make  a 
farthing.  Nor  was  his  piety  towards  God  at  all  behind  his  benev- 
olence to  man,  and  his  modest  estimate  of  himself.  He  was  a  true 
saint.  He  loved  the  person  and  the  cause  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
with  an  affection  which  overmastered  every  other.  ...  He  was  still 
a  .young  man.  Less  than  twoscore  j^ears  enclosed  his  mortal  exist- 
ence, and  little  more  than  ten  years  sufliced  him  to  run  his  brilliant 
course  of  Christian  usefulness.  .  .  .  His  home,  especiall}'  his  rural 
home,  was  the  place  where  alone  all  the  finer  ti'aits  of  his  character 
were  to  be  seen.  There  his  cultivated  taste,  his  gentle  domestic 
virtues,  his  love  of  nature,  and  the  whole  ideality  of  the  man,  shone 
in  all  their  lustre.  His  passion  for  the  countrN'  was  like  that  of  the 
artist  or  the  poet.  He  would  sit  bj'  the  hour  on  some  favorite  spot 
overlooking  the  splendid  scenery  of  the  Hudson,  and  seem  to 
absorb  into  his  ver3^  soul  the  glories  of  creation.  There  alone,  or 
hand  in  hand  with  his  almost  inseparable  companion,  he  would 
wander  over  his  wide  acres,  sit  down  under  the  old  trees,  and  muse 
in  silent  wonder  upon  the  things  which  are  unseen  and  eternal. 


Walter  Scott  Griffith  (1855-1870)  was  born  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  July  22,  1808,  of  a  Welsh  father  and  a  Scotch 
mother.  At  two  years  of  age  he  was  carried  into  pioneer  life 
by  the  removal  of  his  parents  to  the  interior  of'  the  State. 
Early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  he  matured  rapidly,  and 
evinced  from  the  first  traits  which  later  distinguished  him. 
On  leaving  home  he  went  to  Rochester,  where  he  passed  sev- 
eral years,  first  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store,  and  then  as  a 
wholesale  grocer  and  forwarder,  in  company  with  his  fatlier 
and  two  uncles.  Later  he  gave  up  his  business  at  Rochester, 
and  at  length  established  himself  in  New  York,  making  his 
family  home  in  Brooklyn.  In  1860  he  organized  the  Home 
Life  Lisurauce  Company  of  Brooklyn,  with  an  office  in  New 
York ;  became  its  president,  and  so  remained  until  his  death. 
His  administration  of  its  affairs  was  successful,  and  brought 
prosperity  to  it  from  the  first.  He  Twas  connected  as  an  officer 
with  numerous  public  institutions  of  Brooklyn  and  New  York, 


204  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

and  in  them  all  was  regarded  as  a  clear-headed,  prudent,  ca- 
pable, and  trustworthy  man.  He  organized  the  New  York 
Corn  Exchange,  writing  its  charter,  serving  as  its  vice-presi- 
dent, and  as  chairman  of  its  most  important  committees.  He 
occupied  a  highly  lionorable  position  in  the  New  York  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  was  for  many  years  on  its  executive  com- 
mittee, and  also  one  of  its  vice-presidents. 

Mr.  Griffith  was  a  man  of  vigorous  and  striking  intellectual 
qualities.  His  memory  and  perceptive  powers  were  quite  re- 
markable. He  seemed  as  familiar  with  localities,  for  example, 
of  which  he  had  merely  read  descriptions,  as  if  he  had  often 
travelled  over  them.  He  was  heard  to  describe  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  giving  small  details  of  the  face  of  the  country, 
and  showing  where  different  divisions  of  the  national  army 
were  placed,  so  vividly  as  at  once  to  force  the  inquiry,  "  How 
can  you  possibly  remember  so  minutely,  from  having  merely 
seen  it  at  the  time  of  the  engagement  ?  "  But  he  was  never 
at  Gettysburg. 

In  the  great  Brooklyn  Park  of  several  hundred  acres,  full 
of  varied  scenery,  he  knew  and  spoke  of  all  the  roads  and 
walks,  conversed  about  each  noticeable  clump  of  trees,  the 
bridges,  the  little  knolls  and  glens,  with  perfect  ease  and 
familiarity ;  but  though  long  a  member  of  the  Park  Commis- 
sion, and  giving  much  time  to  his  duties  as  commissioner, 
secretary,  and  one  of  its  auditing  committee,  he  knew  all 
these  from  maps  and  conversation  merely.  Strange  to  say, 
he  was  only  once  within  the  Park  limits,  and  was  then  after 
a  brief  stay  driven  away  by  a  shower. 

Mr.  Griffith  was  an  easy  and  effective  speaker,  and  used  the 
pen  also  with  skill.  Had  he  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  col- 
legiate education,  he  would  no  doubt  have  made  a  still  deeper 
mark  upon  his  generation.  His  religious  life  began  during  a 
great  awakening  in  Rochester,  in  1830,  under  the  preaching  of 
that  remarkable  servant  of  God,  the  Rev.  Charles  G.  Finney. 
His  conversion,  like  that  of  so  many  under  the  preaching  of 


WALTER   SCOTT  GRIFFITH.  205 

Mr.  Finney,  was  very  thorough,  and  wrought  with  power  on 
his  whole  subsequent  career.  He  was  connected  with  the 
Bleecker  Street  Presbyterian  Church  in  this  city ;  then,  suc- 
cessively, with  the  South,  Westminster,  and  First  Presbyterian 
Churches  in  Brooklyn ;  and,  last,  with  the  Church  of  the  Pil- 
grims. By  weight  of  character  and  talent,  if  not  always  in 
official  position,  he  was  a  leader  in  all  of  them.  Although  a 
man  of  iron  will,  very  determined,  and  at  times  perhaps  too 
severe  in  his  moral  judgments,  his  strong  and  somewhat 
austere  character  was  adorned  with  the  finest  personal  quali- 
ties. In  the  family,  he  was  a  pattern  of  unselfishness ;  the 
feelings  of  each  and  every  one  were  to  be  consulted  before  his 
own  ;  children  and  servants  he  treated  with  like  unvarying 
courtesy  and  kindness.  Old  servants  would  come  back  to  him 
for  advice  and  help.  An  incident  is  told  of  his  reaching  a 
seaside  hotel,  where  his  family  spent  the  summer,  in  the  very 
early  morning.  He  would  not  disturb  them,  but,  sitting  on  the 
veranda  with  his  paper,  saw  an  Irish  nurse  taking  up  water 
from  the  sea  for  a  child's  bath,  and  noticed  that  as  she  stooped 
her  dress  dipped  in  the  water.  It  was  the  movement  of  an 
instant  for  him  to  leave  his  seat  and  his  reading,  offer  to 
bring  the  water  for  her,  then  carry  pailful  after  pailful,  until 
she  had  enough.  His  courtesy  to  others,  particularly  to 
women,  was  chivalric,  and  was  the  same  in  the  hurry  of 
business  as  in  leisure.  His  clerks  said  that  he  never  spoke  a 
hasty  or  impolite  word  to  them.  The  interests  of  those  who 
came  to  him  in  want  were  his  own. 
An  army  chaplain  wrote  :  — 

I  have  in  a  hundred  eases  advised  the  widows  and  heirs  of  de- 
ceased soldiers  to  call  on  Mr.  Griftith  for  advice,  counsel,  and  help. 
In  every  case  the}'  were  given  with  an  urbanit)*  and  kindness  that 
at  once  set  the  applicant  at  ease,  and  gave  the  assurance,  "  I  am 
in  the  presence  of  a  friend."  It  was  no  sacrifice  or  self-denial  to 
Mr.  Griffith  to  be  patient ;  it  was  his  nature.  He  could  condescend 
to  men  of  low  estate,  and  do  a  favor  without  humbling  the  recipient. 


206  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

After  mj'  return  to  the  cit}-,  I  found  in  this  clear  servant  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  a  valued  friend  in  ni\-  labors  in  the  homes  of  the  poor  and 
destitute,  and    among  the  unfortunate  in  the  prisons. 

This  tender  and  helpful  sympathy,  especially  for  the  fami- 
lies of  deceased  soldiers,  was  born  in  part  of  his  own  bereave- 
ment. His  son,  Walter  Livingston  Griffith,  lieutenant  in  the 
90th  New  York  Volunteers,  died  of  yellow  fever  in  the  service 
at  Key  West,  himself  a  sacrifice  that  he  might  be  faithful  to 
sick  men  in  hospitals.  During  the  war  for  the  Union,  though 
previously  a  conservative  on  the  slavery  question,  j\Ir.  Grif- 
fith's whole  soul  flamed  out  in  support  of  the  government, 
and  in  succor  to  those  whose  friends  had  gone  to  fight  for 
it.  As  secretary  of  the  War  Fund  of  King's  County,  he  was 
full  of  wise  suggestion  and  energy.  It  obtained  from  the 
county  over  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  war- 
rants, without  a  penny's  charge  to  the  three  thousand  re- 
cipients, raised  six  regiments  of  troops,  and  in  other  ways 
showed  its  devotion  to  the  national  cause,  all  largely  through 
his  influence  and  labor.  He  was  widely  known  and  loved  as 
president  of  the  Brooklyn  and  Long  Island  Christian  Com- 
mission. In  Sabbath  school  and  other  church  work  he  did 
excellent  service.  In  conjunction  with  his  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Samuel  T.  Spear,  he  devised  and  carried  through  the 
Church  Erection  Fund  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  going 
to  the  General  Assembly  once  and  again  for  the  purpose  of 
furthering  this  object.  He  was  for  fifteen  years  an  efficient 
Director  of  the  Union  Seminary. 

He  took  a  profound  interest  in  foreign  missions,  and  was 
for  many  years  a  corporate  member  of  the  American  Board. 
When  the  Board,  in  1856,  decided  to  enlarge  its  prudential 
committee  by  the  addition  of  two  members  from  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  Mr.  Griffith  was  selected  as  one  of  the  two ; 
the  other  being  Dr.  Asa  D.  Smith,  and,  on  his  removal  to 
Hanover,  Albert  Barnes.  During  Mr.  Griffith's  last  illness, 
which   was   very   brief,   his   friend,   the   Rev.   Henry   Ward 


WILLIAM  E.   DODGE.  207 

Beecher,  called  on  him,  and  said,  "  Well,  my  brother,  I  hear 
you  are  walking  in  the  light."  "  No,"  was  the  reply,  "  not 
in  the  light,  but  in  the  twilight.  They  say  I  am  going  to 
die,  but  I  have  not  heard  the  blaster's  voice.  And  though  I 
am  filled  with  sweet  peace,  and  am  ready  to  go  if  He  calls 
me,  there  is  none  of  the  noonday  brightness  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  which  I  expected  at  this  hour.  I  hoped  to 
hear  my  Lord  call  me,  and  then  I  should  leave  all  and  run 
to  meet  Him.  Now  I  am  only  listening  and  waiting.  Life 
looks  very  sweet  to  me.  I  am  not  anxious  to  go,  but  am 
ready  to  meet  His  dear  will."  Mr.  Beecher  prayed  with  him, 
and,  expressing  the  hope  of  meeting  beyond  the  river,  they 
shook  hands  with  as  much  cheerfulness  as  if  in  expectation 
of  an  interview  on  the  morrow. 

To  his  pastor,  Dr.  Storrs,  who  came  in  later,  and  also  prayed 
with  him,  Mr,  Griffith  said  he  had  no  doubts,  no  fears :  "  I 
knoiv  whom  I  have  believed."  Still  he  seemed  surprised 
and  not  a  little  disappointed  that  his  soul  did  not  overflow 
with  greater  sensible  joy  and  triumph.  But,  as  is  so  often 
the  case  with  dying  saints,  the  burden  of  the  flesh  pressed  too 
heavily  upon  the  spirit  for  that.  He  passed  away  quietly 
on  November  24,  1872.i 

William  E.  Dodge,  (1856-1883,)  son  of  David  Low  and 
Sarah  Cleveland  Dodge,  was  born  on  September  4,  1805,  at 
Hartford,  Conn,,  and  died  in  New  York  on  February  9,  1883. 
His  remarkable  career  as  a  merchant  and  philanthropist  is 
too  well  known  to  need  more  than  a  brief  notice  here.  He 
participated  in  almost  all  the  great  benevolent  and  national 
movements  of  his  day  that  centred  in  New  York,  and  in  not 
a  few  of  them  he  was  a  leader.  Take  him  for  all  in  all, 
it  is  doubtful  if  the  whole  country  furnished  at  the  time  an- 

1  I  am  indebted  for  this  sketch  mainly  to  an  interesting  article  on  the  life 
and  character  of  Mr.  Griffith  in  the  Cotujregalional  Quarterly  for  April,  1874,  pre- 
pared by  H.  H.  McFarland. 


208  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

other  instance  of  such  abundant,  long  continued,  and  fruitful 
activity  in  so  many  different  spheres  of  Christian  beneficence 
and  reform.  The  versatility  of  his  efforts  for  the  best  good 
of  his  fellow  men  was  as  striking  as  their  extent  and  per- 
sistency. He  saw  how  closely  the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  connected  with  secular  and  social  causes  ;  and  this  im- 
pelled him  to  that  catholicity  and  largeness  of  view  which 
marked  both  his  charities  and  his  personal  efforts.  He  pos- 
sessed in  a  very  unusual  degree  the  true  enthusiasm  of  hu- 
manity. His  joy  in  seeing  the  work  of  God  go  forward  in 
the  world  was  unbounded;  and  nothing  so  pleased  him  as 
to  have  a  hand  in  it.  He  cherished  a  profound  conviction  of 
the  reality  and  desirableness  of  "  revivals  of  religion";  he 
constantly  prayed  for  them;  and  when  he  found  himself  in  the 
midst  of  one,  his  whole  mind  and  heart  were  stirred  by  the 
spiritual  excitement  and  gladness  of  the  scene.  The  evan- 
gelistic labors  of  such  men  as  Nettleton,  Finney,  and  Moody 
and  Sankey,  had  his  warmest  sympathy  and  approval.  It 
would  be  hard  to  say  which  was  nearest  his  heart,  the  cause 
of  home  missions,  foreign  missions,  education  for  the  Gospel 
ministry,  the  elevation  of  the  colored  race,  temperance,  or  the 
rescue  and  religious  training  of  the  neglected  paganized  chil- 
dren of  the  land ;  all  alike  were  the  objects  of  his  special 
interest,  his  efforts,  and  his  untiring  benefactions.  His  gifts 
of  money  were  almost  numberless,  both  great  and  small,  and 
reached  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

Mr.  Dodge  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary  for  twenty-seven  years.  The 
following  is  an  extract  from  a  minute  of  the  Board  on  tlie 
occasion  of  his  death  :  — 

Broad  in  his  sympathies,  wise  in  his  counsel,  proinpt,  liberal, 
and  untiring  in  his  contvibntions,  the  institntion  owes  him  a  debt 
of  gratitude  that  can  never  be  repaid.  His  sudden  death,  to  him 
a  swift  and  blessed  translation  for  which  he  was  wholly  ripe,  is  to 
us  who  survive  him  a  bitter  bereavement  and  an  irreparable  loss. 


ALFRED   CHARLES  POST.  209 

.  .  .  The  city,  the  coiintiy,  and  this  whole  generation  are  afflicted 
b}'  his  departure,  and  yet  enriched  by  his  example. 

A  very  discriminating  and  faithful  memorial  of  Mr.  Dodge's 
life  and  services,  prepared  by  his  son,  the  Rev.  David  Stuart 
Dodge,  was  published  by  Anson  D.  F.  Randolph  &  Co. 

Alfred  Charles  Post  (1856-1886)  was  born  in  the  city  of 
New  York  on  January  3,  1806.  He  graduated  at  Columbia 
College  in  the  class  of  1822 ;  early  became  connected,  as  at- 
tending and  consulting  surgeon,  with  various  hospitals  and 
institutions  of  the  town,  and  in  1851  was  appointed  Professor 
of  General  Surgery  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  City  of  New  York,  —  an  office  which  he  con- 
tinued to  fill  with  distinguished  ability  for  more  than  a  third 
of  a  century.  He  died,  his  eye  still  undimmed,  on  February  7, 
1886,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Post  was  widely  known  as  one  of  the  most  eminent  sur- 
geons of  New  York.  His  reputation  stood  high  also  as  a 
teacher,  and  helped  to  draw  students  to  his  lectures  from  all 
parts  of  the  country.  He  was  a  man  of  great  singleness  of 
eye,  devoted  to  his  profession,  and  generous  as  well  as  skil- 
ful in  practising  it,  an  earnest  disciple  of  Jesus,  exemplary 
as  a  ruling  elder  in  the  church,  and  a  large-hearted  philan- 
thropist. For  thirty  years  he  served  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  as  a  Director  and  he  contributed  liberally  to  pro- 
mote its  interests.  As  his  pastor  for  many  years,  I  have 
occasion  to  remember  him  with  gratitude,  as  well  as  esteem 
and  affection.  To  the  extraordinary  surgical  skill  of  Dr. 
Gurdon  Buck,  assisted  by  his  own,  I  once  owed  my  life. 
These  two  noble  men,  both  ruling  elders  in  the  Cliurch  'of 
the  Covenant,  were  like  brothers  in  their  helpful  sympathy 
and  friendship. 

Norman  White  (1857-1883)  was  born  at  Andovcr,  Conn., 
on  August  8,  1805,  being  a  lineal  descendant  of  John  White, 

14 


210  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Hartford,  Conn.  He  began  his 
career  as  a  New  York  merchant  in  1827,  and  it  extended 
through  more  than  half  a  century.  He  was  interested  in 
various  branches  of  trade,  particularly  in  the  manufacture  of 
paper,  and  for  several  years  was  president  of  the  Mercantile 
National  Bank.  During  all  this  period  he  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  philanthropic  and  religious  associations  and  move- 
ments of  the  time.  In  1851,  when  I  became  his  pastor,  he 
was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Mercer  Street  Presbyterian  Church. 
I  soon  learned  to  esteem  and  lean  upon  him,  as  a  man  of 
earnest  piety,  uncommon  wisdom,  and  a  true  friend.  For 
more  than  forty  years  he  filled  the  office  of  ruling  elder,  dur- 
ing his  later  years  in  the  Brick  Church.  He  was  long  a  lead- 
ing manager  and  also  vice-president  of  the  American  Bible 
Society,  and  to  his  influence,  sagacity,  and  indefatigable 
efforts  that  Society  is  largely  indebted  for  its  present  site 
and  house.  But  Mr.  White's  most  important  public  service 
was  in  connection  with  the  New  York  Sabbath  Committee. 
Of  this  service  his  friend,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Philip  Schaff,  long  the 
secretary  of  the  Committee,  writes  me  as  follows :  — 

I  first  became  acquainted  with  Mr.  Norman  White  at  the  Na- 
tional Sabbath  Convention  held  at  Saratoga  in  August,  1863,  a 
few  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  President  Hopkins  of 
Williams  College,  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  of  Princeton,  Dr.  Willard 
Parker  of  New  York,  and  myself,  were  invited  to  deUver  addresses 
on  the  various  aspects  of  the  Sabbath  question.  A  3'ear  afterwards 
I  was  called  to  New  York  as  corresponding  secretary  of  the  New 
York  Sabbath  Committee,  of  which  Mr.  White  was  chairman  from 
its  organization  in  1857.  During  the  four  j-ears  of  my  official  con- 
nection with  this  noble  Committee,  whicli  is  composed  of  Christian 
laymen  of  various  denominations,  I  saw  him  almost  every  day  at 
the  office  in  the  Bible  House.  He  was  no  mere  figure-head,  but 
the  most  active  meml)er  of  the  Committee,  and  did  more  for  the 
cause  of  Sabbath  observance  than  any  man  in  this  country.  He 
was  constantly  devising  schemes  for  extending  the  usefulness  of 
the  Committee.  The  best  reform  measures  which  it  carried  out 
were  chiefly  due  to  his  indomitable  energy  and  practical  wisdom. 


NORMAN  WHITE.  211 

Such  are  the  prohibition  of  news  cr3ing,  nois}'  processions,  theatri- 
cal performances,  and  the  liquor  traffic  on  Sundays.  He  watched 
over  the  execution  of  Sunday-  laws.  He  was  in  frequent  communi- 
cation with  the  police  department,  with  the  editors  of  the  leading 
city  papers,  and  with  the  Legislature  at  Albany',  to  secure  their  co- 
operation in  the  interest  of  public  order  and  quiet  on  the  day  of 
civil  and  religious  rest.  He  had  an  eye  on  the  German  population, 
arranged  with  the  aid  of  the  leading  ministers  several  effective 
German  mass  meetings  in  Cooper  Institute  for  the  promotion  of 
Sunday  observance,  and  made  me  preach  in  nearly  every  German 
pulpit  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn  on  the  Sabbath  question.  If 
funds  for  special  expenses  were  needed,  he  collected  himself  the 
greater  part  from  a  few  of  his  friends.  He  did  all  this  in  a  quiet 
and  modest  wa}'.  He  never  put  his  name  in  front  if  he  could  help 
it.  Everjbody  had  unbounded  confidence  in  his  integritj',  disin- 
terestedness, and  sound  judgment.  His  judiciousness  was  almost 
proverbial.  He  was  a  perfect  Christian  gentleman,  a  liberal  philan- 
thropist, and  one  of  the  most  useful  laymen  of  his  day.  He  was 
wholly  devoted  to  the  Church,  the  Bible,  and  the  Sabbath,  which 
he  justly  regarded  as  the  three  chief  pillars  of  American  Christian- 
ity'^ and  civilization. 

Early  in  its  history  Mr.  "White  became  interested  in  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he 
was  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Directors,  and  for  twelve  years 
its  vice-president.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  min- 
ute adopted  by  the  Board  on  occasion  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  June  13,  1883 :  — 

While  energetic  in  action,  he  was  eminentl}'  sagacious  in  coun- 
sel. In  difficult  emergencies  his  advice  was  alwa3's  sought,  and 
had  great  weight.  It  may  be  said  with  perfect  truth  that  both  in 
the  church  and  in  society  he  was  characterized  by  the  same  union 
of  boldness  and  wisdom.  He  was  prompt  in  every  good  cause,  and 
during  his  long  Christian  life  was  one  of  the  most  influential  lay- 
men which  this  city  has  produced. 

Joel  Parker,  D.  D.,  (1857-1869,)  was  born  in  Bethel,  Vt., 
on  August  27,  1799.  He  graduated  at  Hamilton  College  in 
1824,  and   studied   theology   at  the  Auburn    Seminary.     In 


212  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

February,  1827,  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Third  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.  In  1830  he  became  pas- 
tor of  the  Dey  Street  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  city  of  New 
York  ;  from  1833  to  1838  he  was  pastor  of  the  First  Church, 
New  Orleans,  and  from  1838  to  1840  of  the  Broadway  Taber- 
nacle, New  York  City.  In  1840  he  was  appointed  President 
of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  and  its  Professor  of  Sacred 
Rhetoric.  Two  years  later  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Clinton 
Street  Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia.  Here  he  remained 
until  1852,  when  he  returned  to  New  York  to  become  pastor 
of  the  Bleecker  Street  Church.  In  1862  he  was  installed 
over  the  Park  Church  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  where  he  continued 
until  1868.     He  died  in  New  York  on  May  2,  1873. 

Dr.  Parker  was  a  man  of  strong  individuality,  with  a  clear 
head  and  a  warm  heart,  very  decided  in  his  convictions,  able, 
earnest  and  bold  as  a  preacher,  and  successful  in  winning 
many  souls  for  Christ.  In  tlie  earlier  years  of  his  ministry, 
especially,  few  of  his  contemporaries  equalled  him  in  the  gift 
of  popular  and  effective  speech,  whether  in  the  pulpit  or  on 
the  platform.  In  the  great  revivals  that  marked  the  period 
he  ranked  among  the  leaders. 

Walter  Clarke,  D.  D.,  (1859-1861,)  was  born  in  Middle- 
town,  Conn.,  on  April  5,  1812.  Having  graduated  at  Yale 
College  in  1837,  he  studied  medicine,  then  law,  and  at  length 
divinity.  His  first  pastorate  was  at  Canterbury,  Conn. ;  in 
1844  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  South  Church  in  Hartford, 
where  he  labored  for  fourteen  years  with  great  success ;  in 
1858  he  succeeded  Dr.  Prentiss  as  pastor  of  the  Mercer  Street 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  city  of  New  York.  His  last  pas- 
torate was  in  the  First  Church  at  Buffalo,  where  he  died  on 
May  22,  1871.  Dr.  Clarke  was  a  strong  man,  and  gifted  with 
various  talents,  both  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit.  He  was  es- 
pecially happy  and  useful  in  his  ministry  at  Hartford,  where 
he    numbered  among  his  contemporaries   and  friends  those 


JOSEPH  HOW  LAND.  213 

eminent  servants  of  Christ,  Joel  Hawes  and  Horace  Bushncll. 
At  Buffalo  also,  where  the  last  eleven  years  of  his  life  were 
spent,  he  was  much  honored  and  beloved  for  his  work's  sake. 

Joseph  Rowland  (1860-1874)  was  bom  in  New  York,  De- 
cember 3,  1834.  He  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  that  "  godly 
man  and  ancient  professor  in  the  ways  of  Christ,"  John  How- 
land,  who  signed  the  memorable  compact  in  the  cabin  of  the 
Mayflower  shortly  before  the  landing  at  Plymouth,  The  name 
of  his  father,  Samuel  Shaw  Howland,  who,  as  one  of  the  well 
known  firm  of  Howland  and  Aspinwall,  stood  fifty  years  ago 
among  the  foremost  merchants  of  the  city,  is  on  the  first  sub- 
scription roll  of  the  Seminary  for  a  thousand  dollars.  This  is 
noteworthy  from  the  fact  that  he  belonged  to  a  Dutch  Reformed 
congregation.  Joseph  was  educated  partly  at  home  and  partly 
abroad.  While  yet  a  boy,  he  had  formed  for  himself  the  ideal 
of  a  life  to  be  lived  in  the  service  of  God  and  his  fellow  men ; 
and  no  contact  with  the  world  and  its  cares  or  its  pleasures, 
no  prosperity,  no  adversity,  ever  dimmed  or  turned  aside  his 
clear  vision  and  steadfast  purpose.  At  one  time  he  contem- 
plated studying  for  the  ministry.  In  a  letter  to  me  dated 
May  30,  1856,  having  expressed  the  fear  that  he  must  give  up 
his  cherished  plan,  he  adds  :  — 

The  effects  of  recent  comparatively  light  studies,  and  a  true 
realization  of  the  severity  of  the  preparation  I  should  require,  have 
shown  me  my  physical  unfitness  for  the  work.  The  idea  of  preach- 
ing Christ's  Gospel  was  the  greatest  thing  I  could  propose  to  my- 
self. Perhaps  it  will  be  better  for  me  to  be  obliged  to  work  in 
what  I  consider  a  lower  sphere.  I  know  God  will  do  His  own  good 
will,  and  lead  me  to  do  His  work  in  some  wa}-,  if  I  truly  and  rightly 
desire  it.  A  genial  industrious  fife,  full  of  all  the  good  my  hand 
finds  to  do,  —  fruitful,  and  yet  free  from  the  unremitted  labors,  tax- 
ing both  body  and  mind,  of  the  ministry,  —  seems  to  me  to  be  the 
way  before  me. 

Marrying  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  went  abroad  with  his 
wife  and  passed  several  years  in  foreign  travel.     In  1859  he 


214  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

settled  down  in  Matteawan,  building  for  himself  there  one  of 
the  finest  country-seats  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson.  Upon 
the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  he  forsook  his  beautiful  new 
home,  and  enlisted  in  the  service  of  his  country  as  Adjutant 
of  the  16th  Regiment  of  New  York  State  Volunteers ;  later, 
he  was  Adjutant-General  and  Chief  of  Staff  of  General  Slo- 
cum's  Brigade,  and  afterwards  Colonel  of  the  16th  Regiment. 
At  the  bloody  battle  of  Gaines's  Mill,  June  27,  1862,  he  re- 
ceived a  severe  wound,  but  continued  to  direct  the  movements 
of  the  regiment  until  it  left  the  field. 

In  this  engagement,  besides  its  Colonel  and  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
the  regiment  lost  in  killed  and  wounded  2G0  men,  rank  and  file, 
fully  one  quarter  of  its  effective  force  on  that  day.  No  battle- 
scarred  veteran  ever  bore  himself  with  higher  valor,  or  inspired  his 
command  with  more  heroic  bravery,  than  did  Colonel  Howland  on 
this  occasion.  Brave  without  rashness,  he  was  at  his  post,  where 
danger  was  thickest.  With  an  intrepidity  that  seemed  to  def}' 
death,  he  led  his  men  on  the  field,  and  remained  with  them  so  long 
as  there  was  hope.^ 

For  his  gallantry  on  this  occasion  Colonel  Howland  was 
brevetted  Brigadier-General.  But  though  disabled,  his  influ- 
ence, his  money,  and  his  whole  soul  were  still  given  to  his 
country.  In  1865  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  as  such  took  part  in  drafting  the  trust  deeds 
of  Cornell  University  ;  also,  in  the  organizing  and  building  of 
the  Hudson  River  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  of  which  he  was  a 
manager  for  fifteen  years. 

His  devotion  to  the  best  interests  of  Matteawan  is  shown 
in  such  lasting  monuments  as  the  Tioronda  chapel,  dedicated 
in  1865  to  education  and  the  worship  of  God  ;  the  public 
library,  which  bears  his  name,  opened  in  1872 ;  the  Presbyte- 
rian church,  in  the  building  of  which  his  liberality,  taste,  and 
active  sympathy  were  largely  exercised ;  and  the  Highland 
Hospital,  which  he  founded.     For  years  he  was  the  faithful 

^  Colonel  J.  J.  Seaver. 


JOSEPH  STEELE   GALLAGHER.  215 

superintendent  of  the  TioronUa  Sunday  school,  and  swayed 
all  hearts  with  the  mild  sceptre  of  his  love.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-five  he  was  elected  a  Director  in  the  Union  Theologi- 
cal Seminary,  —  by  many  years  the  youngest  man  who  ever 
received  that  honor.  I  happen  to  know,  through  Prof.  Henry 
B.  Smith,  between  whom  and  himself  there  existed  the  warm- 
est friendship,  tiiat  he  year  after  year  supported  several  stu- 
dents in  their  Seminary  course,  contributing  thus  tliousands 
of  dollars,  and  yet  I  doubt  if  five  persons  in  the  world  knew 
anything  about  it.  This  may  serve  to  show  the  spirit  by 
which  he  was  ruled,  not  only  in  his  munificent  gifts  and  chari- 
ties, but  in  all  his  relations  to  society  and  the  clmrch,  whether 
public  or  private.  He  was,  in  truth,  one  of  the  most  attractive 
characters  I  have  ever  known.  A  friend,  who  was  also  for 
years  his  pastor,  writes  :  — 

Amidst  all  that  unspeakable  beaut}',  where  God  and  nature  and 
man  had  done  so  much  to  glorify  what  we  beheld,  the  most  beauti- 
ful thing  of  all  was  that  lovely  human  character ;  so  refined,  so 
unselfish,  so  pure,  so  devoted  to  man  and  so  consecrated  to  God, 
so  nearly  perfect,  so  unique,  that  the  only  description  is  the  name 
Joseph  Rowland.^ 

General  Rowland  died  at  Mentone,  in  France,  on  April  1, 
1886.  Almost  his  last  words,  and  they  struck  the  key-note  of 
his  life,  were :  "  We  praise  Thee,  we  bless  Thee,  we  worship 
Thee,  we  give  thanks  to  Thee^ 

Rev.  Joseph  Steele  Gallagher  (1863-1876)  was  born  on 
October  25,  1801,  in  New  York  City.  During  his  school  days 
he  had  the  instruction  of  Mr.  Mattaniah  Nash,  a  good  mathe- 
matician and  astronomer,  as  well  as  classical  scholar,  who 
favored  his  more  advanced  pupils  with  lessons  in  astronomy 
and  the  use  of  a  good  telescope.  In  January,  1818,  when 
only  sixteen,  the  youth  received  from  Colonel  Barclay,  the 
commissioner  of  Great  Britain  under  the  fifth  article  of  the 

^  Dean  Bartlett,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Divinity  School  at  riuladelpliia. 


216  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Treaty  of  Ghent  for  fixing  the  boundary  line  between  Canada 
and  the  United  States,  the  place  of  assistant  to  the  British  As- 
tronomer, Dr.  Tiaik.  He  remained  in  this  service  till  1820, 
when  he  was  appointed  by  President  Monroe  Second  Lieuten- 
ant of  Artillery  in  the  United  States  Army,  and  was  first  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Moultrie,  in  Charleston  harbor.  In  May,  1822, 
while  stationed  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  N.  Y.,  he  came  under  the 
influence  of  a  devoted  Christian  lady.  Shaken  in  his  then 
sceptical  opinions  by  a  little  tract  on  the  inspiration  of  the 
Bible,  and  asking  her  for  a  fuller  treatise  upon  the  subject, 
she  procured  for  him  Letters  to  a  Young  Officer  on  Christian 
Education,  etc.,  by  Olynthus  Gregory,  LL.  D.,  Professor  of 
Mathematics  in  the  Royal  Woolwich  Military  Academy,  an 
author  whose  mathematical  works  he  had  studied,  and  who 
must,  he  felt,  as  a  mathematician  have  solid  ground  for  his 
convictions.  His  earnest  study  of  this  book  convinced  him 
of  his  obligation  to  read  and  obey  the  Word  of  God,  as  he 
would  do  in  case  of  any  commands  from  military  authority, 
and  he  persisted  for  months  in  reading  the  Bible  with  fidelity, 
but,  as  he  thought,  with  little  spiritual  interest,  though  made 
to  feel  profoundly  that  he  had  no  sympathy  with  the  mind  of 
God.  At  last,  after  a  night  resolutely  spent  in  confession 
and  prayer,  in  which  he  became  deeply  distressed  by  a  sense  of 
guilt  and  darkness,  Romans  iii.  19-28,  fastened  on  his  mem- 
ory by  many  readings,  came  vividly  to  mind,  and  was  so  clear 
to  his  apprehension  that  he  seemed  suddenly  to  emerge  into 
full  light  and  hope.  With  characteristic  promptness  he  com- 
municated his  experience  the  very  next  day  to  his  fellow  ofli- 
cers,  and  also  endeavored  to  explain  to  each  one  of  a  body  of 
prisoners  under  his  charge  the  way  of  salvation.  He  began 
then  to  employ  his  life-long  gift  of  introducing  with  rare 
felicity  the  subject  of  religion  in  personal  intercourse  of  the 
most  varied  character.  Henceforward,  too,  he  always  com- 
bined with  military  duty  that  of  a  Christian  officer  religiously 
to   instruct  and  influence  his  soldiers.     In  1823,  when   in 


JOSEPH   STEELE   GALLAGHER.  217 

command  on  Bedloc's  Island,  New  York  harbor,  lie  established 
a  Bible  class  in  the  fort.  Mrs.  David  Codvvisc,  with  whom  his 
long  and  intimate  friendship  then  began,  obtained  from  the 
Ladies'  Bible  Society  a  gift  of  one  hundred  Bibles  for  his  use. 

In  his  subsequent  military  life,  at  St.  Augustine,  Sackett's 
Harbor,  Bangor,  and  elsewhere,  his  Christian  efforts  were  un- 
remitting. He  ordinarily  held  two  religious  services  on  Sun- 
day, with  prayer-meetings  in  the  week,  and  also  organized 
societies  for  promoting  temperance. 

Being  convinced  of  the  value  of  established  religious  in- 
struction for  soldiers,  and  wishing  due  sanction  for  his  own 
procedure,  he  early  communicated  his  views  to  Mr.  Calhoun, 
then  Secretary  of  War,  in  a  personal  interview  in  1824,  and 
received  his  "  cordial  approval  of  judicious  efforts  for  the 
moral  and  religious  improvement  of  the  army."  His  friend, 
Major-Gen.  E.  P.  Gaines,  also  gave  him  his  hearty  sympathy 
and  support.  Lieutenant  Gallagher  was  promoted  in  1831  to 
the  captaincy  of  a  company  at  Fort  Gratiot,  at  the  outlet  of 
Lake  Huron,  and,  after  considerable  arduous  duty  at  that  fron- 
tier, was  ordered  with  his  command  to  active  service  against 
the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  led  by  Blackhawk.  During  that 
campaign  he  was  on  the  staff  of  General  Scott,  and  had  much 
personal  intercourse  with  him.  As  a  testimony  to  General 
Scott's  humane  and  Christian  principles,  he  relates  that  the 
General  laid  before  him,  in  private,  the  terms  of  a  treaty  he 
was  about  concluding  with  the  Indians,  asking  his  judgment 
especially  on  the  moral  aspects  of  the  provisions,  and  saying, 
"  I  am  desirous  of  making  a  treaty  with  these  conquered  tribes 
that  an  American  may  hear  recited  in  London  or  Paris  with- 
out a  blush."  Captain  Gallagher  was  promoted  to  the  adju- 
tancy of  his  regiment  in  1833,  served  as  such  till  1835,  when 
he  resigned  his  commission  in  order  to  enter  the  ministry. 
He  received  from  General  Scott  a  letter  expressing  earnest 
regret  at  his  decision  to  leave  the  army,  but  accepting  it,  offer- 
ing the  provision  that  it  take  effect  after  a  year's  furlough,  in 


218  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

consideration  of  his  long  and  faithful  service  with  very  slight 
indulgence  of  that  kind. 

Mr,  Gallagher  had  for  some  time  carried  on  special  theo- 
logical studies  as  his  duties  allowed,  especially  improving  the 
period  of  his  command  at  Bangor,  Me.,  to  study  Hebrew 
with  Professor  Talcott  of  the  Theological  Seminary  there. 
After  further  studies  at  Andover  and  Princeton  Theological 
Seminaries,  he  became  the  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Orange,  N.  J.,  in  October,  1837,  and  labored  there 
with  characteristic  assiduity  and  marked  success  till  1850, 
when  he  resigned  his  charge  and  took  a  season  of  rest  and 
travel.  In  March,  1852,  he  was  elected  by  the  Directors  of 
the  Union  Theological  Seminary  special  agent  to  obtain  an 
adequate  endowment.  In  March,  1853,  he  had  secured  sub- 
scriptions to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  and  three  thousand 
dollars,  and  in  a  second  effort,  ending  in  1859,  arduous  and 
long  continued,  (for  the  era  of  large  single  gifts  had  not  then 
arrived,)  he  raised  the  endowment  to  two  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand  dollars.  He  acted  for  some  years  as  general  agent 
of  the  Seminary,  until  in  1863,  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Halsey,  he 
was  elected  Director  and  Treasurer,  with  the  additional  title 
of  General  Secretary.  Those  positions  he  held  till  May  10, 
1874,  when  from  serious  failure  of  health  he  felt  constrained 
to  resign  them  all.  After  a  long  period  of  declining  health, 
he  died  in  Bloomfield,  N.  J.,  on  April  13,  1879.1 

Hanson  Kelly  Corning  (1863-1878)  was  born  in  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  in  1811,  and  died  in  New  York  on  April  22,  1878. 
He  was  for  a  long  period  engaged  as  a  merchant  in  the 
Brazilian  trade.  It  is  said  that  he  imported  the  first  cargo 
of  india-rubber  that  was  brought  into  this  country.  Having 
been  greatly  prospered  in  his  business,  Mr.  Corning  employed 

1  This  sketch  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Gallagher's  son-in-law,  Professor  Packard 
of  Princeton  College,  at  the  request  of  Dr.  Hitchcock,  and  is  printed  in  the  Ap- 
pendix to  the  Address  of  the  latter  at  the  dedication  of  the  new  Seminary 

buildings  in  1884. 


HANSON  KELLY  CORNING.  219 

his  largo  means  in  promoting  such  causes  as  commended 
themselves  to  his  clear  judgment.  He  took  a  special  inter- 
est in  the  evangelization  of  Brazil,  where  he  had  resided  for 
several  years.  He  was  a  man  of  uncommon  worth,  a  Chris- 
tian gentleman,  and  noted  for  his  good  worlvs.  He  passed 
several  of  the  later  summers  of  his  life  at  Manchester,  Vt. 
The  venerable  Dr.  Wickham  of  that  place,  now  in  his  ninety- 
third  year,  writes  mo  concerning  him  :  — 

When  a  little  past  middle  life  Mr.  Corning  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness. The  home  of  his  family  had  been  in  Brooklyn  ;  but  remov- 
ing to  New  York,  into  the  neighboi'hood  of  the  Brick  Presbyterian 
Church,  he  became  a  member  of  that  church  during  the  pastorate 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Gardiner  Spring,  and  sustained  this  relation  for  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  Having  acquired  wealth,  he  became  noted  for 
his  judicious  liberality  in  dispensing  it.  His  ears  were  ever  open 
to  appeals  in  behalf  of  institutions  of  Christian  benevolence  and 
objects  of  charit}',  and  he  was  ready  with  heart  and  hand  to 
respond  to  the  same,  where  the  claims  for  aid  were  in  his  view 
satisfactory.  He  was  naturally  a  diffident  man  and  one  of  few 
words,  but  yet  of  sound  judgment,  and  a  wise  adviser  of  those  who 
sought  his  counsel,  whether  young  or  old.  The  apostolic  injunc- 
tion, "  Ready  to  distribute,  willing  to  communicate,"  was  one 
which  he  conscientiousl}'  obeyed,  and  when,  at  the  age  of  sixt}-- 
seven,  he  was  called  away  by  death,  all  that  knew  him  felt  that 
a  good  and  useful  man  had  gone  to  his  reward,  and  that  his  re- 
moval was  a  loss  to  mankind. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  minute  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  on  the  occasion  of  his  death,  prepared  by  the 
Eev.  Dr.  Adams :  — 

Mr.  Corning  felt  a  personal  concern  in  the  prosperity'  and  use- 
fulness of  Union  Seminary,  and  manifested  it  not  only  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  as  one  of  its  managers,  but  by  frequent  visits 
of  inspection,  whereby  he  became  acquainted  with  its  wants.  To 
these  he  was  ever  ready  to  respond.  Plis  frequent  and  generous 
gifts  to  the  Library,  as  well  as  to  the  private  libraries  of  the  students, 
will  long  keep  his  memory  fresh  in  the  minds  of  many  ministers  of 
the  Gospel. 


220  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

WiNTHROP  Sargent  Oilman  (1870-1875)  was  bom  at 
Marietta,  Ohio,  March  28,  1808.  His  father,  Benjamin  Ives, 
and  his  grandfather,  Joseph  Oilman,  had  at  the  close  of  the 
Revolution  associated  themselves  with  the  Ohio  Company, 
and  in  1788  had  removed  to  the  new  Northwest  Territory 
from  Exeter,  N.  H.,  the  original  home  of  the  Oilmans  in 
America.  Joseph  Oilman,  who  had  not  long  after  his  ar- 
rival been  appointed  Judge  of  the  Territory  by  Washington, 
died  in  Ohio  in  1806 ;  and  in  1813  his  son,  Benjamin  Ives, 
having  acquired  a  good  estate  and  desirous  of  securing  the 
advantages  of  a  city  in  the  education  of  his  children,  returned 
to  the  East,  choosing  Philadelphia  as  his  home.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  then  five  years  old,  the  youngest  of  a  circle 
of  nine  brothers  and  sisters. 

In  1823  he  began  his  commercial  career  as  clerk  with  the 
firm  of  Mactier  and  Company  of  New  York,  in  which  his 
brother  Robert  was  a  partner.  In  1827,  when  but  nineteen 
years  old,  he  made  a  journey  to  the  West,  intrusted  by  Mr. 
Mactier  with  the  entire  responsibility  of  large  purchases, 
sales,  and  shipments  of  provisions  along  the  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi rivers.  Two  years  later  he  determined  to  begin  an 
independent  career  in  the  region  thus  familiarized  to  him. 
St.  Louis  was  then  "  a  straggling  French  and  American  town 
of  about  6,000  inhabitants."  Alton,  Illinois,  was  a  rough 
site  amid  woods,  with  but  one  occupied  house,  past  which  the 
young  merchant  rode  on  his  first  visit  without  a  suspicion 
that  ho  had  reached  his  destination  ;  here  nevertheless  he 
resolved  to  start  in  business.  He  afterwards  wrote  thus  to 
one  of  his  children  :  — 

When  my  goods  readied  St.  Louis,  I  embarked  with  them  on  a 
tiny  steamboat  for  Alton,  twenty-two  miles  distant,  taking  also  pine 
lumber  necessary  for  my  counter  and  shelves.  I  arrived  there,  after 
some  five  or  six  hours'  paddling,  about  midnight.  It  was  lonely 
enough,  for  it  rained,  and  after  covering  my  goods  with  the  pine 
boards  I  crept  under  the  same  shelter  myself.  ...  I  was  full  of 


WINTHROP   SARGENT  OILMAN.  221 

life  and  enthusiasm,  and  enjo3-ed  tlie  novel  order  of  things.  Traders 
were  scarce,  and  such  as  offered  to  purchase  produce  largely,  as  I 
did,  still  scarcer.  Man}-  farmers  with  their  hogs  and  cattle,  man}'- 
hunters  with  their  furs  and  peltries,  came  from  Morgan  and  Sanga- 
mon counties  sixt}'  to  eighty  miles  to  trade  with  the  young  New 
Yorker  who  was  ready  to  buy  their  produce.  .  .  .  Northern  Illinois 
was  then  unsurve\-ed,  Indians  roamed  over  it,  and  game  abounded. 
80  plentiful  were  the  deer  that  I  could  usuallj-  start  them  up  within 
a  mile  of  our  residence. 

Here  Mr.  Oilman  remained  in  successful  business  for  sev- 
eral years,  at  first  alone,  and  later  forming  with  his  brother 
Arthur  and  Captain  Benjamin  Godfrey  the  firm  of  Godfrey, 
Oilman,  &  Co. ;  here  his  religious  life  first  had  outward  ex- 
pression through  his  uniting  with  the  church ;  here  also  he 
became  identified  with  the  cause  of  temperance,  as  chairman 
of  the  Illinois  State  Temperance  Society ;  and  here,  on  De- 
cember 4,  1834,  he  married  Miss  Lippincott,  a  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott,  one  of  the  first  ministers  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 

It  was  Mr.  Oilman's  warehouse  at  Alton  that  was  stormed 
by  a  mob  in  the  memorable  "  Lovejoy  Riot "  of  November  7, 
1837,  the  first  tragedy  in  the  long  conflict  which  ended  in  the 
abolition  of  slavery,  —  an  event  which,  though  long  forgotten 
save  by  students  of  the  fall  of  the  slave  power,  caused  at  the 
time,  according  to  The  Boston  Recorder  of  that  day,  "  a  burst 
of  indignation  which  has  not  had  its  parallel  in  this  country 
since  the  battle  of  Lexington  in  1775." 

In  consequence  of  the  expression  of  anti-slavery  sentiments 
in  the  columns  of  his  religious  newspaper,  the  Rev.  Elijah 
P.  Lovejoy  had  been  violently  persecuted  in  St.  Louis  and 
Alton,  and  one  after  another  of  the  presses  used  in  printing 
the  paper  had  been  destroyed.  At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens 
of  Alton  to  consider  the  subject,  Mr.  Oilman  was  the  only 
one  of  a  committee  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions  who  pro- 
tested against  their  containing  the  recommendation  to  Mr. 
Lovejoy  to  leave  the  town.     In  his  opinion,  the  right  of  free 


222  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

speech  was  here  involved  and  should  be  vindicated.  When, 
notwithstanding  all  warnings,  Mr.  Lovejoy  persisted  in  send- 
ing for  a  new  press  to  replace  one  just  destroyed,  Mr.  Gilman 
offered  his  warehouse  for  its  safe  keeping.  The  "Lovejoy 
Riot "  was  the  storming  of  the  warehouse  the  following  night 
by  a  large  mob,  and  its  defence,  under  the  sanction  of  the 
mayor  of  the  city,  by  a  party  of  twenty  citizens,  among  them 
Mr.  Lovejoy  and  Mr.  Gilman.  The  result  was  the  death  of 
Mr.  Lovejoy  and  of  one  of  the  attacking  party,  the  wounding 
of  several  others,  the  firing  of  the  warehouse,  and  the  capture 
and  destruction  of  the  press.     Mr.  Gilman  writes :  — 

The  five  years  at  Alton  after  the  Lovejoy  riot  were  years  of 
trial,  but  also  of  joy.  I  was  a  great  Bible  student,  and  enjoyed 
the  precious  revivals  of  religion  of  those  days.  Although  in  a 
dull  place  and  suffering  the  disadvantages  of  the  lack  of  enlarged 
social  intercourse,  we  had  warm  Christian  friends,  a  sweet  little 
family  circle  to  interest  us  and  to  care  for,  so  that  we  could  bide 
God's  time  for  something  better,  and  stay  our  souls  on  hope. 

In  1843  Mr.  Gilman  removed  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  be- 
came one  of  the  elders  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
and  superintendent  of  its  large  Sunday  school.  As  his  prop- 
erty increased  the  question  of  its  right  use  became  one  of 
absorbing  interest  to  him,  and  the  conception  of  systematic 
beneficence  as  the  duty  correlative  to  the  right  of  property 
never  afterward  left  his  mind.  His  offer  in  1848,  through  the 
American  Tract  Society,  of  a  prize  of  two  hundred  dollars  for 
the  best  essay  on  systematic  beneficence  led  to  the  publication 
by  the  Society  of  three  such  essays,  of  one  of  wliich  many 
copies  were  distributed  by  Mr.  Gilman  throughout  the  country. 
This  interest  in  beneficence,  both  theoretical  and  practical, 
was  one  of  his  strongest  traits.  He  had  no  deeper  or  more 
constant  impulse  than  to  give  liberally  of  his  sympathies,  his 
personal  efforts,  and  his  substance  to  all  who  were  in  need,  in 
aid  of  every  charitable  work,  and  for  the  advancement  of  the 
cause  of  Christ. 


WINTHROP   SARGENT  OILMAN.  223 

In  1849,  Mr.  Gilman  returned  to  this  city,  and  entered  with 
his  sons  into  the  banking  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
Gilman,  Son,  &  Co.  In  New  York  he  was  at  first  connected 
with  the  church  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Dr.  James 
W.  Alexander,  and  a  few  years  later  joined  the  Brick  Church, 
of  which  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  senior  elder. 
During  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  James  0,  Murray,  Mr.  Gilman 
united  with  him  and  the  late  Mr.  Daniel  Lord  in  preparing 
a  collection  of  hymns  known  as  the  Sacrifice  of  Praise,  which 
continued  for  a  number  of  years  in  use  in  that  and  other 
churches.  On  the  founding  of  the  Presbyterian  Hospital  by 
Mr.  James  Lenox,  Mr.  Gilman  was  selected  as  one  of  its  first 
board  of  trustees;  he  also  became  a  Director  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Church  Erection.  He  was  many  times  a  commis- 
sioner to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church ; 
and  in  1870,  after  the  Reunion,  the  Assembly  appointed  him 
chairman  of  the  committee  formed  to  raise  a  fund  of  five 
millions  of  dollars  in  commemoration  of  that  event.  Into 
this  work  he  threw  himself  with  his  accustomed  ardor,  the 
efforts  of  the  committee  resulting  in  a  thank-offering  by 
the  reunited  Church  of  over  seven  millions.  He  was  later 
appointed  by  the  Assembly  chairman  of  its  committee  on 
benevolence  and  finance,  holding  that  office  until  the  com- 
mittee was  discharged  from  its  duties,  in  1874,  and  devoting 
to  his  labors  therein  an  enthusiastic  energy  very  remarkable 
in  view  of  his  growing  physical  frailness. 

In  1871,  Mr.  Gilman  passed  his  first  summer  in  the  house 
on  the  Hudson,  twenty  miles  from  New  York,  which  was  to 
be  the  home  of  his  remaining  years.  Those  quiet  years  in 
a  charming  seclusion,  amid  a  joyous  circle  of  children  and 
children's  children,  were  among  the  happiest  of  his  long  life. 
They  were  full  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  activity,  marked 
by  ardent  solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  those  dear  to  him,  and 
by  the  warmest  interest  in  all  good  causes,  above  all  the  cause 


224  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

of  the  Church  he  loved  so  well.  He  had  always  been  a  devoted 
student  of  Shakespeare,  and  a  wide  reader  of  general  poetic 
and  religious  literature ;  and  in  the  numerous  commonplace- 
books  which,  though  extending  over  a  period  of  nearly  sixty 
years,  were  in  large  part  written  toward  the  close  of  his  life, 
he  left  the  record  of  a  rich  and  varied  spiritual  experience. 
His  was  a  nature  in  which  strong  religious  feelings,  the  ten- 
derest  sympathies,  and  the  most  delicate  poetic  tastes,  were 
happily  balanced  by  a  vigorous  delight  in  activity  and  a  keen 
interest  in  practical  life.  He  died  at  Palisades,  N.  Y.,  after  a 
short  illness,  on  the  3d  of  October,  1884,  in  the  seventy-seventh 
year  of  his  age.i 

Zephantah  Moore  Humphrey,  D.  D,,  (1874-1875,)  was  born 
at  Amherst,  Mass.,  on  August  30,  1824.  He  graduated  at 
Amherst  College ;  studied  theology  at  Andover ;  was  pastor 
of  churches  at  Racine  and  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  from  1850  to 
1859 ;  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Chicago,  from  1860 
to  1868;  of  Calvary  Church,  Philadelphia,  from  1868  to  1875; 
and  was  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Church  Polity 
in  Lane  Theological  Seminary,  Cincinnati,  from  1875  to  1881. 
He  was  moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  which  met  in  his 
old  church  at  Chicago,  in  May,  1871.  He  died  on  November 
13,  1881. 

Dr.  Humphrey's  connection  with  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  although  very  brief,  was  yet  long  enough  to  leave 
the  pleasantest  impression.  He  was  seen  at  once  to  be  a  man 
worthy  of  the  honored  name  he  bore.  The  blood  of  several 
very  old  and  vigorous  New  England  family  stocks  ran  in  his 
veins,  and  he  seems  to  have  inherited  their  best  traits.  His 
father,  Heman  Humphrey,  for  many  years  President  of  Am- 
herst College,  was  one  of  the  strongest,  wisest,  and  most  influ- 
ential men  of  his  generation.     His  Grandmother  Humphrey 

1  For  the  sketch  of  this  very  interesting  and  admirable  man  I  am  chiefly 
indebted  to  two  of  his  surviving  children. 


ZEPHANIAH  MOORE  HUMPHREY.  225 

was  Hannah  Brown,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Peter  Brown,  who 
came  over  in  the  Mayflower.  She  was  sister  of  Captain  John 
Brown,  of  West  Simsbury,  Conn.,  the  father  of  John  Brown  of 
Ossawatomie.  When  the  latter  was  in  the  Virginia  prison, 
under  sentence  of  death  and  awaiting  execution,  President 
Humphrey  wrote  him  a  letter  of  fraternal  counsel  and  com- 
passion. He  addressed  him  as  his  cousin,  and  received  an 
affectionate  reply,  full  of  the  spirit  of  mingled  sweetness, 
firmness,  and  love.  Zephaniah's  mother  was  Sophia  Por- 
ter, a  sister  of  the  Rev.  Noah  Porter,  D.  D.,  for  more  than 
threescore  years  a  Congregational  minister  in  Farmington, 
Conn.,  and  the  honored  father  of  a  highly  honored  son. 

But  Dr.  Humphrey  was  strong  in  himself,  as  well  as  in 
ancestral  virtues.  No  one  could  be  with  him  long  without 
perceiving  tliat  he  stood  upon  his  own  foundation.  Whatever 
hereditary  traits  entered  into  his  make,  they  were  all  assim- 
ilated and  tempered  by  his  individual  quality.  The  general 
impression  made  by  him,  whether  in  private  or  in  public,  was 
that  of  uncommon  gentleness,  self-poise,  and  quiet,  patient 
energy  ;  but  there  were  also  latent  in  his  nature  elements  of 
great  boldness  and  decision  of  character.  This  is  well  illus- 
trated by  an  incident  whicli  occurred  during  his  Chicago  pas- 
torate. One  night  he  was  awakened  by  his  wife  from  a  sound 
sleep  to  find  a  burglar  creeping  about  the  room.  He  sprang 
from  his  bed  and  grappled  with  the  man  in  the  darkness,  and 
held  him  by  so  firm  a  grasp  that  he  could  not  release  himself. 
Meanwhile  Mrs.  Humphrey  had  started  a  light  in  the  room, 
and  became  an  eyewitness  to  the  scene.  The  burglar  had 
drawn  a  knife,  and  was  saying  that  all  he  wanted  now  was  to 
get  away,  that  he  did  not  wish  to  injure  Mr.  Humphrey  if  he 
were  allowed  to  escape,  but  he  would  not  be  captured.  Still, 
Mr.  Humphrey  clung  to  him  ;  together  they  struggled,  the  bur- 
glar backing  toward  the  hall  and  stairway.  When  this  was 
reached,  by  a  sudden  wrench  the  thief  liberated  himself  from 
Mr.  Humphrey's  grasp,  and  ran,  followed  by  Mr.  H. ;  but 
15 


226  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

when  he  was  half-waj  down  the  stairs,  the  burglar  turned  and 
struck  Mr.  Humphrey  with  his  knife,  saying,  with  an  oath, 
"  I  will  not  be  followed."  Pausing  long  enough  to  see  that 
the  blood  which  had  started  from  elbow  to  wrist  was  from 
a  slight  wound,  Mr.  Humphrey  again  pursued  the  thief,  but 
could  not  catch  him,  as  he  quickly  escaped  through  a  base- 
ment window,  which,  at  the  time  of  his  stealthy  entrance,  he 
had  left  open  for  that  purpose.  Here  was  something  akin  to 
the  pluck  of  sturdy  John  Brown. 

Dr.  Humphrey  with  his  wife  and  children  passed  the  sum- 
mer of  1870  in  Dorset,  Yt.,  where  I  had  the  opportunity  to 
know  and  admire  him  as  a  scholar  of  fine  culture  and  varied 
attainments,  a  gifted  preacher,  a  lover  of  nature,  skilled  in 
the  use  of  both  the  telescope  and  the  microscope,  a  genial  com- 
panion, and  a  man  of  very  attractive  domestic,  personal,  and 
Christian  character.  A  3Iemorial  Sketch,  prepared  by  his 
brother-in-law,  the  Rev.  David  Torrey,  D.  D.,  of  Cazeno- 
via,  N.  Y.,  together  with  Five  Selected  Sermons,  was  pub- 
lislied  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  and  Company  in  1883.  To  this 
charming  volume  I  am  indebted  for  the  principal  matter  of 
my  own  sketch. 

Alexander  Yan  Rensselaer,  (1875-1878,)  fifth  son  of 
Stephen  Yan  Rensselaer  of  Albany,  the  last  of  the  Patroons, 
was  born  in  1825,  and  died  on  May  8,  1878,  Graduating  at 
Yale  College,  he  studied  medicine  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  in  Edinburgh,  and  later  spent  several  years  in 
foreign  residence  and  travel.  After  his  father's  death  he 
returned  home,  and  at  length  settled  in  New  York,  where  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was  prominent  in  the  hu- 
mane and  Christian  charities  of  the  city.  No  small  portion  of 
his  time,  indeed,  was  freely  given  to  service  in  the  public  insti- 
tutions of  philanthropy  and  religion  with  which  he  was  offi- 
cially connected.  Engaged  in  no  active  business  of  his  own, 
he  became  a  servant  of  the  whole  community,  and  labored 


HENRY  I VI SON,  227 

with  unselfish  devotion  in  carino;  for  its  crippled,  blind,  sick, 
and  neglected  members.  When  he  died,  flags  were  displayed 
at  half-mast  on  the  lodging-houses  of  the  News  Boys,  who 
had  learned  to  love  him.  Mr.  Van  Rensselaer  inherited  his 
excellent  father's  traits.  He  was  a  man  of  simple  habits,  of 
great  purity  of  character,  and  of  earnest  piety.  For  many 
years  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Pres- 
byterian Church.  He  belonged  to  a  class  of  Christian  citizens, 
not  small  in  New  York,  whose  public  spirit  and  disinterested 
labors  are  among  the  best  sources  of  its  moral  strength  and 
prosperity. 

Henry  Ivison  (1876-1884)  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland, 
December  25, 1808,  and  died  in  New  York,  December  3, 1884. 
He  was  the  founder,  and  until  his  retirement  in  1880  the 
head,  of  what  was  said  to  be  the  largest  school-book  publish- 
ing house  in  the  world.  When  twelve  years  old  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  the  United  States,  and  was  apprenticed  to 
William  Williams  of  Utica,  then  the  largest  bookseller  west 
of  Albany.  Some  years  later  he  opened  a  bookstore  of  his 
own  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  where  one  of  his  earliest  customers 
was  William  H.  Seward,  then  Governor  of  the  State.  After 
sixteen  years  in  Auburn  he  removed  to  New  York  City,  where 
his  career  was  very  successful.  The  firm  of  Mark  H.  New- 
man &  Co.,  established  in  1846  and  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber, published  Sanders's  Readers,  beginning  with  a  primer 
and  grading  upward  five  volumes.  The  work  had  an  im- 
mense circulation.  In  1866  Mr.  Ivison  said  they  never  put  to 
press  less  than  100,000  copies  of  Sanders's  Pictorial  Reader. 
He  at  length  bought  out  the  entire  interest  of  the  concern 
and  took  in  as  partner  H.  F,  Phinney,  of  Cooperstown,  son-in- 
law  of  J.  Fenimore  Cooper.  Later  the  firm  was  Ivison, 
Blakeman,  Taylor,  &  Co.  During  the  last  years  of  his  life 
Mr.  Ivison  had  a  summer  home  at  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  and 
took  great  delight  in  it.     He  was  a  man  of  solid  worth  and 


228  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

ability,  warmly  attached  to  the  old  faith  and  forms  of  Presby- 
terianism,  yet  liberal,  large-hearted,  and  an  earnest  follower 
of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

George  William  Lane  (1878-1883)  was  born  near  Red 
Mills,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lake  Mahopac,  N.  Y.,  on  Jan- 
uary 8,  1818.  While  still  a  boy  he  came  to  this  city  and 
entered  upon  a  business  career  which  made  him  one  of  its 
leading  merchants.  For  thirty  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  in  May,  1882,  that  body  elected 
him  its  President.  He  was  actively  connected  with  a  number 
of  the  important  financial  institutions  of  New  York,  and 
promiment  in  its  religious  and  philanthropic  work.  He  took 
a  leading  part  in  the  establishment  of  the  Madison  Square 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  was  an  elder  and  trustee. 
A  very  warm  friendship  subsisted  between  him  and  the  Rev. 
William  Adams,  D.  D.,  who  leaned  upon  him  as  a  pillar  of 
strength. 

He  was  also  interested  in  the  promotion  of  good  government,  and 
especially  in  efforts  to  secure  an  honest  administration  of  the  city 
of  New  York.  He  worked  efficiently  in  the  Committee  of  Sevent3', 
by  which  a  fraudulent  system  of  municipal  affairs  was  exposed  and 
frustrated.  At  the  urgent  request  of  his  friend,  Mayor  Havemeyer, 
he  accepted  the  office  of  chamberlain  of  the  cit}-,  and  continued  in 
it  from  May,  1873,  to  February,  1875.  With  great  reluctance,  in 
the  summer  before  his  death  he  consented  to  become  a  member  of 
the  Croton  Aqueduct  Commission,  and  the  arduous  responsibilities 
of  this  position  weighed  heavily  upon  hira. 

In  all  these  important  stations  he  maintained  the  confidence  of 
his  colleagues  and  associates,  as  the  numerous  tributes  testif}' 
which  were  called  out  b}'  his  death.  Although  his  disposition  was 
that  of  a  modest,  retiring  man,  who  never  wished  preferment,  his 
strong  convictions,  excellent  judgment,  and  abundant  public  spirit 
were  so  well  known  that  his  counsel  was  constantl}'  sought.  It 
was  freely  given  to  all  who  asked  it.  There  are  few  men  in  an}^ 
community  whose  opinions  are  so  trustworth}'  as  were  Mr.  Lane's, 
either  in  public  or  in  private  affairs.     He  had  a  large  measure  of 


JAMES  DUNCAN   WILSON.  229 

that  sagacity  which  sees  the  end  from  the  beginning,  combined 
with  that  instinctive  sense  of  justice  and  righteousness  which  does 
not  hesitate  in  forming  a  purpose,  nor  swerve  from  a  chosen  course 
because  of  its  unpleasantness  or  want  of  popularity.^ 

Mr.  Lane  died  very  suddenly  at  his  home  in  New  York,  on 
December  30,  1883.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the 
minute  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  on  the  occasion  of  his  death  :  — 

Prudent,  wise,  modest,  firm,  we  shall  miss  him  in  the  conduct 
of  the  every-day  work  of  this  institution,  and  especially  as  a  strong 
man  to  lean  upon  in  time  of  difficult}-.  Warmly  attached  to  the 
church  in  which  he  was  a  worshipper  and  to  its  pastors,  and  rev- 
erencing the  men  and  their  office,  he  was  keenh-  alive  to  the  bless- 
ing and  power  of  a  thoroughl}-  educated  ministry,  and  threw  his 
whole  heart  into  the  work  of  this  Seminary,  with  an  appreciation 
of  its  importance,  and  an  intelligence  worthy  of  our  institution. 
Ma}'  his  mantle  fall  upon  all  of  us  ! 

James  Duncan  Wilson,  D.  D.,  (1881-1888,)  was  born  at 
Spring  Mills,  Penn.,  on  April  3,  1836,  and  died  in  New  York 
on  May  14,  1888.  He  graduated  at  Amiierst  College  in  the 
class  of  1858,  and  studied  divinity  at  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  in  the  city  of  New  York,  graduating  in  the  class  of 
1862.  On  July  1,  1863,  he  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the 
Spring  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  where  his  labors  were 
signally  blessed.  He  had  a  special  gift  for  attracting  young 
people,  persuading  them  to  become  Christians,  and  then  teach- 
ing them  to  work  for  their  Master.  In  1869  he  accepted  a 
call  to  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church,  which  removed  from 
Broome  Street  to  Fifty-seventh  Street  near  Eighth  Avenue. 
Here  he  continued  to  the  close  of  his  days,  endearing  himself 
more  and  more  to  his  people,  to  the  community,  and  to  his 
ministerial  brethren,  as  a  faithful  servant  of  Christ.  He 
passed  away,  after  a  lingering  and  painful  illness,  in  the  very 
midst  of  his  usefulness.  I  saw  him  often  in  his  sick-chamber 
1  President  Gilman  of  Johns  Hopkins  University. 


230  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

during  the  winter  preceding  his  death.  Although  the  victim 
at  times  of  most  excruciating  pain,  he  was  still  a  picture  of 
cheerful  patience,  resignation,  and  hope ;  and  being  myself 
ill,  these  visits  did  me  good  like  a  pleasant  medicine.  He 
spent  much  of  his  time  in  reading,  or  in  being  read  to ;  and 
our  talks  about  books,  as  well  as  our  talks  about  this  life  and 
the  life  to  come,  I  recall  with  real  delight.  He  was  very  fond 
of  science,  as  well  as  literature,  was  a  keen  observer  of  nature, 
and  interested  himself  in  all  that  was  going  on  in  the  world. 
I  remember  two  very  entertaining  evening  talks  he  gave  to 
the  "  Chi  Alpha "  circle ;  one  on  bees,  and  the  other  on  the 
progress  of  Russia  in  the  East. 

Charles  Washington  Baird,  D.  D.,  (1886-1888,)  was  born 
at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  August  28,  1828  ;  he  graduated  at  tlie 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  18-18,  and  at  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary  in  1852.  After  serving  as 
chaplain  of  the  American  Chapel  at  Rome,  Italy  (1852-54), 
he  was  settled  over  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  on  Bergen 
Hill,  N.  J.  In  1861  he  became  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Rye,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  on  February  10,  1887. 

Dr.  Baird  inherited  some  of  the  best  traits  of  his  honored 
father,  the  Rev.  Robert  Baird,  D.  D.,  who  did  so  much  to 
acquaint  European  Christians  with  religion  and  religious  life 
and  methods  in  this  country.  He  was  an  accomplished 
scholar,  a  devoted,  faithful  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  a  man 
greatly  beloved  by  his  people  and  by  the  whole  community. 
For  several  years  Dr.  Baird  was  necrologist  of  the  Seminary, 
and  his  notices  of  departed  alumni,  prepared  with  no  little 
labor,  were  models  in  their  kind.  He  published  some  valu- 
able books  on  Presbyterian  Liturgies  ;  also.  Chronicle  of  a 
Border  Toivn,  History  of  Bedford  Church,  and  History  of  the 
Huguenot  Emigration  to  America,  2  vols.,  1885.  The  last 
named  work  was  received  with  much  favor  by  the  American 
public,  and  won  high  praise  from  foreign  critics. 


JAMES  PATRIOT  WILSON.  231 

J.iMES  Patriot  Wilson,  D.  D  ,  (1856-1889,)  was  born  in 
Philadelphia  on  December  25, 1809.  He  belonged  to  an  old 
Scotch-Irish  Presbyterian  stock,  and  on  his  father's  side  was 
in  the  fifth  generation  of  ministers  in  this  country.  One  of 
his  maternal  ancestors  was  in  the  band  of  thirteen  men  who 
shut  the  gates  of  Derry  against  the  soldiers  of  King  James 
the  First.  The  patriotism  of  the  family  was  emphasized  by 
his  middle  name,  first  given  to  his  father  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Matthew  Wilson  of  Lewes,  Delaware,  eminent  both  as  a  phy- 
sician and  a  clergyman,  and  noted  as  an  ardent  Whig  of  tlie 
Revolutionary  period. 

James  Patriot  Wilson,  the  father,  born  at  Lewes  on  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1769,  was  among  the  remarkable  men  of  his  gen- 
eration. Begiiming  his  career  as  a  great  lawyer,  he  ended  it 
as  perhaps  the  foremost  Presbyterian  minister  in  the  country. 
While  a  young  man  he  had  been  a  religious  sceptic ;  but  a 
series  of  distressing  afflictions,  one  of  which  was  the  assas- 
sination of  an  only  brother,  brought  him  to  serious  reflection, 
and  ultimately  to  a  full  conviction  and  cordial  acceptance  of 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
1804,  and  not  long  after  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  united 
congregations  of  Lewes,  Cool  Spring,  and  Indian  River, — 
the  same  to  which  his  father  had  ministered.  In  May,  1806, 
he  was  called,  at  the  instance  of  his  early  and  constant  friend, 
the  celebrated  physician,  Benjamin  Rush,  to  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  Philadelphia.  Accepting  the  call  by  tlic 
advice  of  his  presbytery,  he  continued  its  minister  for  nearly 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  when,  on  account  of  infirm  health,  he 
resigned,  and  retired  to  his  farm,  about  twenty  miles  from 
Philadelphia.  He  died  there,  in  the  triumph  of  faith,  on 
December  9,  1830.  His  grave  is  near  that  of  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Tennent,  founder  of  the  famous  "Log  College,"  in  the 
burying-ground  of  Neshaminy  church.  Not  long  before  his 
departure  he  said  to  a  friend,  "  I  have  been  looking  the  case 
between  God  and  myself  over  and  over,  and  over  again,  and 


232  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

though  I  see  enough  to  justify  God  in  casting  me  off,  a  thou- 
sand times  and  more,  the  conviction  of  my  interest  in  Christ 
is  so  firm  that  I  cannot  make  myself  afraid ;  the  only  thing 
I  fear  is  that  I  have  not  fears  enough." 

Dr.  Wilson  was  one  of  the  most  learned  men  of  his  day. 
In  important  branches  of  ecclesiastical  and  theological  lore 
no  other  American  clergyman  of  the  period  probably  equalled 
him.  He  had  a  special  passion  for  patristic  study,  even  rec- 
ommending to  his  people  from  the  pulpit,  not  long  before  his 
death,  that  as  they  had  opportunity  they  should  familiarize 
themselves  with  this  department  of  knowledge. 

Like  many  other  distinguished  men,  Dr.  Wilson  had  his 
odd  and  peculiar  ways.  He  could  not  bear,  he  once  said,  to 
receive  the  least  gift  without  making  some  return.  He  once 
refused,  for  instance,  to  accept  some  oranges  from  an  old  lady 
of  his  congregation,  saying,  in  his  usual  style  of  regal  plural- 
ity, "  We  can  buy  oranges  when  we  wish  for  them."  Not  long 
after,  at  his  own  house,  he  offered  the  same  lady  a  fine  apple 
from  his  mantel-piece,  but  she,  shrugging  up  her  shoulders, 
declined  receiving  it,  saying,  "  We  can  purchase  apples  when 
we  wish  for  them."  Dr.  William  Patton,  one  of  his  flock, 
used  to  relate  some  amusing  anecdotes  of  his  idiosyncrasies 
in  the  pulpit.  Once,  perceiving  some  mischievous  tendencies 
in  one  of  his  sons,  sitting  in  a  pew  near  the  pulpit,  he  stopped 
abruptly  in  his  discourse  and  said,  "  Samuel,  go  home,  —  go 
home,"  —  motioning  at  the  same  time  with  his  hand  towards 
the  door.  When  speaking  of  Nicodemus,  as  referred  to  in 
the  third  chapter  of  John,  he  would  uniformly  say,  "  There 
was  a  gentleman  of  the  Pharisees,  called  Nicodemus."  And 
when  commenting  on  the  parable  of  the  ten  virgins  he  used 
to  call  them  the  "  ten  young  ladies^  Mr.  Barnes,  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  First  Church  of  Philadelphia,  thus  describes  his 
preaching :  — 

On  the  only  occasion  on  which  I  ever  heard  him  preach,  several 
circumstances  struck  me  as  remarkable.     His  personal  appearance 


JAMES  PATRIOT   WILSON.  233 

was  highly  iuipressive.  He  was  very  pale,  and  apparently  feeble.  He 
sat  ill  the  pulpit,  and,  as  he  was  accustomed  to  do,  used  a  large  laii. 
He  had  a  very  dignified  air,  and  his  whole  manner  was  calm,  col- 
lected, and  solemn.  What  first  arresteil  my  attention  particularly 
in  his  pulpit  performances  was  the  manner  in  which  he  read  the 
Scriptures.  It  was  a  chapter  in  the  Gospel  of  John.  His  reading 
was  accompanied  by  brief  explanatory  remarks.  1  thought  it  the 
most  clear  and  interesting  exposition  of  the  Bible  I  had  ever  wit- 
nessed. It  was  so  simple,  so  plain,  so  striking,  that  at  the  time  it 
occurred  to  me  that  he  could  better  prepare  a  commentary  for  the 
use  of  Sunday  schools  than  any  man  I  had  ever  met  with.  His 
sermon  was  equally  clear,  impressive,  and  solemn,  and  what  was 
most  remarkable  about  it  was  a  very  clear  and  beautiful  exposition 
of  the  ninth  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  which  he  quoted 
from  memory,  and  commented  on  as  accurately  as  if  he  had  had  the 
chapter  before  him.  He  used  no  notes  of  any  kind.  His  preach- 
ing at  first  seemed  to  be  merel}'  conversational.  He  sat  and  talked 
to  the  people  before  him,  as  a  gentleman  might  be  expected  to  do 
in  his  own  parlor.  Soon,  however,  I  forgot  entirely  the  man,  —  his 
fan,  his  sitting,  and  his  somewhat  singular  habit  of  lifting  up  and 
down  his  watch-chain.  I  became  wholly  absorbed  in  what  he  was 
saying,  and  to  me  it  was  then  of  no  importance  what  he  was  doi7iff, 
or  whether  he  made  man^^  gestures  or  none.  I  have  never  in  my 
life  found  myself  more  absorbed  in  the  subject  on  which  a  public 
speaker  was  discoursing  than  I  was  on  this  occasion.  And  what 
was  true  of  myself  seemed  to  be  true  of  the  entire  congregation. 

Dr.  Sprague,  in  his  invaluable  Annals  of  the  American  Pul- 
pit, says  of  Dr.  Wilson  :  — 

He  was  in  person  above  the  middle  height,  and  had  a  countenance 
rather  grave  than  animated,  and  expressive  at  once  of  strong  benev- 
olent feeling  and  of  high  intelligence.  In  the  ordinary  intercourse 
of  society,  his  manners  were  exceedingly  bland,  though  he  was  as 
far  as  possible  from  any  approach  to  the  courtier.  He  was  affable 
and  communicative,  and  generally  talked  so  sensibl}',  or  so  learnedly, 
or  so  profoundly,  that  he  was  listened  to  with  earnest  attention.  He 
had  certain  peculiarities  that  would  sometimes  excite  a  smile,  but 
they  would  not  diminish  anybody's  respect  for  his  character.  I 
saw  him  a  few  times  in  private,  and  he  struck  me  as  a  model  of 
a  Christian  philosopher.     He  was  uniformly  gentle,  urbane,  and 


234  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

obliging,  and  rarely  spoke  without  uttering  something  that  I  could 
wish  to  remember.  I  heard  him  preach  one  sermon,  and  it  was 
throughout  as  consecutive  and  condensed  as  the  demonstration  of 
a  problem  of  Euclid.  I  am  confident  that  I  never  heard  another 
preacher  who  tasked  m}^  powers  of  attention  and  reflection  so  much  ; 
the  loss  of  a  sentence  or  two  would  have  greatly  marred  the  im- 
pression of  the  entire  discourse.  He  spoke  without  notes  and  with 
great  deliberation,  but  with  as  much  correctness  as  if  every  word 
had  been  written.  On  a  blank  leaf  of  his  cop}'  of  Henr}-  Ware's 
tract  on  Extemporaneons  Preaching.,  he  has  left  the  following 
testimony  over  his  signature:  "I  have  preached  twenty  years, 
and  have  never  written  a  full  sermon  in  my  life,  and  never  read 
one  word  of  a  sermon  from  the  pulpit,  nor  opened  a  note,  nor  com- 
mitted a  sentence,  and  have  rarely  wandered  five  minutes  at  a  time 
from  m}'  mental  arrangement  previously  made." 

I  have  dwelt  thus  long  upon  the  character  of  Dr.  Wilson 
the  father,  because  in  his  day  he  represented  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church  with  more  weight  than  perhaps  any  other  man 
the  moderate  and  catholic  spirit  which  a  few  years  later  was 
embodied  in  the  Union  Theological  Seminary ;  and  also  be- 
cause some  of  the  most  influential  founders  and  early  direc- 
tors of  the  institution  had  either  been  trained  by  him,  or  as,  in 
the  cases  of  Thomas  H.  Skinner  and  Albert  Barnes,  were  sus- 
tained and  defended  by  his  powerful  influence  in  their  break 
with  the  intolerant,  domineering  temper,  as  also  with  certain 
favorite  theological  notions  and  shibboleths,  which  marred 
more  or  less  of  the  current  Calvinistic  orthodoxy.  He  had 
no  superstitious  devotion  either  to  ecclesiastical  rules  or  to 
mere  human  formulas  of  belief.  Alike  in  his  churchmanship 
and  in  his  divinity  he  was  very  independent  and  liberal ;  he  laid 
great  stress  upon  the  ethical  side  of  Christian  life  and  doc- 
trine ;  and  in  his  -whole  being  he  was  so  simple,  so  high-souled, 
and  such  a  wise  as  well  as  ardent  lover  of  truth,  that  those 
who  came  within  the  charmed  circle  of  his  teaching  and  of 
his  grand  personality  felt  the  touch  of  a  power  that  wrought 
in  them  for  higher  and  larger  aims  all  the  rest  of  their  days. 


JAMES  PATRIOT  WILSON.  235 

It  is  quite  clear  to  me  that,  liad  Dr.  Wilson  never  lived,  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary  would  have  been  built  upon  less 
solid,  generous,  and  broad  foundations. 

The  following  tribute  to  the  son  of  this  great  and  good  man. 
Dr.  James  P.  Wilson  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  appeared  shortly  after 
his  death.  It  was  written  by  his  old  friend  and  neighbor,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  W.  J.  R.  Taylor,  of  that  city  :  — 

"In  a  full  age,  like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh  in  in  bis  season," 
this  venerable  and  beloved  man  of  God  has  "  come  to  his  grave." 
It  may  be  almost  as  literally  said  of  him  as  of  Moses  at  the  time 
of  his  departure,  that  "his  eye  was  not  dim,  nor  his  natural  force 
abated,"  up  to  the  stroke  of  his  last  and  short  illness.  Few  even 
of  those  who  knew  him  suspected  that  upon  his  tall,  erect,  and 
noble  frame,  and  upon  his  whitening  head,  the  crown  of  fourscore 
3'ears  had  settled.  His  physical  faculties  and  intellectual  powers 
were  so  little  impaired,  that  to  the  last  he  performed  his  pastoral 
service,  and  preached  as  well  as  ever,  and  worked  for  the  Church 
at  large  with  unabated  zeal  and  spiritual  power.  But  suddenly  the 
end  has  come,  and  all  that  knew  his  name  say,  "  How  is  the  strong 
staff  broken  and  the  beautiful  rod ! "  On  the  Friday  before  his 
death,  he  returned  from  a  trip  to  his  summer  cottage  at  Lake 
George  to  prepare  for  vacation  in  that  delightful  resort,  but  smit- 
ten with  fatal  disease,  which  was  aggravated  b}'  previous  over- 
exertion in  parochial  and  other  church  work  connected  with  the 
Bloomfield  Theological  Seminary,  and  preparations  for  the  meeting 
of  the  General  Assembl}'  in  New  York.  From  the  first  attack  he 
believed  it  to  be  his  last  sickness,  and  after  six  days  of  increasing 
suffering  and  failing  of  heart  and  flesh  he  entered  into  rest.  With 
characteristic  humility,  he  said  little  of  his  personal  experiences, 
3'et  to  those  who  were  with  him  he  left  precious  testimony  of  "  the 
patience  and  the  faith  of  the  saints."  .  .  .  Dr.  Wilson's  early  educa- 
tion was  mostl}'  conducted  by  his  father,  or  under  his  special  care. 
At  the  age  of  ten  he  corresponded  in  Latin  with  his  father,  whose 
classical  attainments  and  habits  were  such  that  he  "  had  not  only 
read  all  the  Greek  and  Latin  fathers,  but  almost  lived  among  them." 
At  twelve  j-ears  of  age  he  entered  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
but  was  fully  prepared,  and  graduated  with  his  class  in  182G.  After 
his  conversion,  which  was  several  years  later,  he  studied  for  the 


236  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

ministry  under  his  father's  instructions,  and  was  licensed  to  preach 
the  Gospel  b^'  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  At  one  time,  it  is 
said,  his  ambition  was  to  become  a  soldier,  and  he  always  admired 
the  best  forms  of  military  life  and  achievement.  But  God  meant 
him  to  be  "a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ." 

His  first  settlement  was  as  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Neshaminy,  Pa.,  and  later  he  ministered  to  the  Coates  Street  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  Philadelphia.  In  1847  he  became  President  of 
Delaware  College  at  Newark,  Del.,  where  he  remained  about  three 
years.  Afterwards  he  was  called  to  the  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary in  the  city  of  New  York,  where  he  taught  Systematic  The- 
ology until  October,  1853,  when  he  accepted  the  call  of  the  newly 
organized  South  Park  Presbyterian  Church  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  to 
which  he  gave  thirty-six  years  of  his  consecrated  life  and  efllcient 
ministry.  During  all  this  period  he  was  also  actively  engaged  in 
various  lines  of  work  for  the  institutions  of  the  Church,  and  of  the 
city  which  was  honored  by  his  long  and  useful  pastorate,  and  abun- 
dant labors  for  the  public  good.  He  built  his  very  life  into  his 
church,  and  a  real  "  master  builder"  he  was.  And  it  may  be  truly 
said  that  the  best  human  thing  in  that  church  was  his  faithful  min- 
istry, with  his  sanctified  learning,  eloquence,  wisdom,  and  tact,  his 
godly  life  and  good  example,  and  his  absolute  fidelity  to  the  ever- 
lasting Gospel.  His  strong  personality  impressed  itself  upon  the 
whole  communit}'.  He  was  original  and  modestly  oracular,  utterl}' 
fearless  and  outspoken  upon  all  questions  of  the  time  that  required 
his  advocacy  or  opposition,  and  yet  with  the  courage  of  a  prophet 
he  had  the  tenderness  of  a  belove'd  disciple.  With  overflowing 
humor  and  ready  wit,  he  never  lost  his  dignity,  and  while  inspir- 
ing the  respect  of  all  men,  he  was  attractive  to  little  children,  and 
was  as  gentle  as  a  nurse  among  his  people,  whether  in  sorrow  or 
in  joy. 

Dr.  Wilson  was  a  born  leader  in  the  Church,  and  stood  in  the 
forefront  of  the  temperance  and  other  social  reforms.  His  public 
spirit  and  Christian  patriotism  in  peace  and  in  war-time  never 
lacked  honest  and  active  manifestation,  even  against  the  greatest 
popular  prejudice  and  opposition.  In  theology  he  was  a  moderate 
Calvinist,  like  his  father,  and  was  prominently  identified  with  the 
New  School  Presbyterians  from  the  division  to  their  reunion  with 
the  Old  School  in  18G9.  With  many  other  eminent  men  of  both 
Schools,  he  was  opposed  to  the  reunion ;  but  when  it  was  happily 


JAMES  PATRIOT  WILSON.  237 

accomplished,  he  gave  it  his  best  services  to  the  end  of  his  honored 
and  blessed  ministry.  He  hated  strife,  and  was  pre-eminently  a 
peacemaker ;  and  it  was  doubtless  and  chiefly  for  these  reasons 
that  he  chose  his  way  through  the  ecclesiastical  controversies  of 
his  time. 

Dr.  Wilson  died  on  May  22,  1889.  My  own  recollections  of 
him  are  very  pleasant.  We  came  to  New  York  about  the 
same  time,  and  during  his  connection  with  the  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  as  one  of  its  Professors,  he  and  his  family 
were  members  of  my  congregation.  I  soon  learned  to  esteem 
and  love  him,  as  a  man  of  rare  modesty  and  solid  excellence, 
and  our  friendship  never  grew  cold.  For  a  third  of  a  century 
he  was  a  Director  of  the  Union  Seminary.  He  took  a  lively 
interest  in  its  welfare,  and  was  not  often  absent  from  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Board.  He  had  the  greatest  admiration  for  his 
successor  in  the  chair  of  Systematic  Theology,  Dr.  Henry  B. 
Smith,  and  always  seemed  to  delight  in  expressing  it.  His 
last  services  as  a  member  of  the  Board  were  in  preparing  a 
touching  minute  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Fewsmith,  and  in  giving 
the  charge  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Vincent  upon  his  inauguration  as 
Baldwin  Professor  of  Sacred  Literature. 

The  death  of  Dr.  Wilson  rendered  vacant  the  last  of  three 
seats  in  the  Board  of  Directors  which  had  been  occupied  for 
a  third  of  a  century  by  a  remarkable  triumvirate  of  Newark 
pastors,  the  first  two  of  whom  were  Jonathan  F.  Stearns, 
elected  in  1850,  and  Joseph  Fewsmith,  elected  in  1852.  All 
three  were  men  of  uncommon  gifts ;  and  by  their  very  long 
and  faithful  service,  their  ripe  experience,  their  tried  wisdom 
and  soundness  of  judgment,  their  catholic  spirit  and  sweet 
human  sympathies,  as  well  as  by  their  piety  towards  God 
and  their  likeness  to  Jesus  Christ,  they  added  weight  to  the 
character  of  the  city  in  which  they  la])orcd,  and  of  the  wliole 
Church  which  was  so  favored  as  to  number  them  among  its 
ministers. 

Who   can   begin   to   estimate   the   good   influences   which 


238  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

flowed,  and  will  continue  to  flow,  far  and  wide,  from  the 
lives  of  these  three  men  ?  They  were  three  in  varied  graces 
and  individuality  of  character  and  of  work ;  but  they  were 
one,  and  of  one  heart  and  one  mind,  in  striving  together 
so  long,  side  by  side,  for  the  faith  and  furtherance  of  the 
Gospel.  What  a  beautiful  friendship  was  theirs  !  How  they 
loved  and  trusted  each  other  during  all  those  more  than  three 
and  thirty  years  !  The  very  sight  of  them,  as  they  used  to 
take  their  places  together  so  punctually  at  the  meetings  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  Union  Seminary,  was  a  benediction. 

MR.  JAMES  BROWN. 

James  Brown  was  born  at  Ballymena,  Antrim  County,  Ire- 
land, February  4, 1791.  In  1800  his  father,  Alexander  Brown, 
came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Baltimore.  James 
was  then  at  school  in  England,  but  later  followed  his  father 
to  this  country.  In  1811  the  firm  of  Alexander  Brown  and 
Sons  was  established  in  Baltimore.  In  1815  James  joined 
his  brother  William,  afterward  Sir  William  Brown,  who  was 
at  the  head  of  a  branch  of  the  house  in  Liverpool.  Three 
years  later  he  returned  and  became  a  partner  with  his  brother 
in  the  Philadelphia  firm  of  John  A.  Brown  &,  Co.  In  1825 
he  came  to  New  York,  and  the  next  year  established  here  the 
firm  of  Brown  Brothers  &  Co.,  since  so  well  known  and  hon- 
ored the  world  over.  In  1838,  on  the  retirement  from  busi- 
ness of  John  A.  Brown,  he  became  the  head  of  the  house  in 
this  country.  He  died  in  New  York  on  November  1,  1877,  in 
the  eighty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  To  his  warm  friendship 
for  Dr.  Adams  the  Seminary  owes  the  gift  of  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  with  the  condition  that  "  the  income  should 
be  applied  only  to  the  payment  of  professors'  and  teachers' 
salaries."  "  I  have  long  felt,"  he  wrote  to  Dr.  Adams,  "  that 
the  salaries  of  the  professors  are  quite  too  small,  and  hence 
the  views  I  take  on  that  subject." 


JAMES  BROWN.  239 

On   the   dc<ath   of   Mr.  Brown   the   following  minute  was 
placed  upon  the  records  of  the  Faculty  :  — 

The  Faculty  of  Union  Theological  Seminary  have  been  deeply 
touched  by  the  departure  from  this  life  of  their  aged  and  honored 
friend,  Mr.  James  Brown  ;  and  they  desire  to  put  on  record  an  ex- 
pression of  their  feelings  in  view  of  this  event.  As  an  eminent 
citizen,  as  a  merchant  whose  name  was  known  and  higldy  esteemed 
throughout  tlie  commercial  world,  as  a  Christian  man  and  philan- 
thropist, and  as  a  munificent  patron  of  Union  Seminary,  the  death 
of  Mr.  Brown  will  receive  due  notice,  and  his  virtues  be  fully- 
commemorated  elsewhere.  But  lie  stood  in  peculiar  relations  to 
the  Faculty  of  this  institution.  He  was  more  than  their  personal 
friend,  he  was  their  benefactor  and  the  benefactor  of  their  suc- 
cessors in  the  years  to  come.  With  a  wisdom  and  foresight  only 
equalled  by  his  generosity,  he  lifted  all  our  chairs  out  of  their 
straitened  and  uncertain  financial  condition  and  planted  them  upon 
the  sohd  ground  of  a  liberal,  secure,  and  permanent  endowment. 
He  thus  freed  us,  and  those  who  shall  hereafter  take  our  places, 
from  exposure  to  the  worrying  cares  and  discomforts  which,  un- 
happily, are  too  often  the  portion  of  professors  in  our  higher  in- 
stitutions of  learning.  In  paying,  therefore,  a  special  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  this  excellent  and  noble  man,  we  are  paying  a  debt 
of  gratitude,  as  well  as  of  esteem  and  affection.  We  shall  not  cease 
to  remember  him  and  his  great  service  to  this  Seminary.  Nor  shall 
we  cease  to  remember  with  pleasure  those  closing  Sabbath  hours, 
when,  under  his  own  roof,  we  one  after  another  joined  with  him 
and  his  household  in  Christian  worship.  What  a  beautiful  picture 
he  presented  of  serene,  happy,  God-fearing  old  age,  as  in  the 
midst  of  his  children  and  children's  children  he  sat  thus,  awaiting 
the  coming  of  his  Lord  !  What  an  unspeakable  benediction  was 
death  to  him,  and  in  dying  what  a  lasting  benediction  lie  has  left 
behind  to  those  who  mourn  his  loss  !  We  tender  them  our  sym- 
pathy in  their  bereavement,  but  still  more  do  we  congratulate  them 
upon  all  the  precious  and  hallowed  memories  that  still  bind  them 
to  the  departed,  and  through  him  to  a  better  country. 


240  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


GOVERNOR  MORGAN. 


Edwin  Denison  Morgan  was  a  descendant  of  James  Mor- 
gan, who  emigrated  from  Wales  to  Boston  in  1636.  and  in 
1650  removed  to  Pequot,  now  New  London,  Conn.  Edwin 
was  born  at  Washington,  Mass.,  on  February  8,  1811.  In 
1828  he  began  his  mercantile  career  with  a  clerkship  in  Hart- 
ford. In  1836  he  established  himself  in  New  York,  and  in  a 
few  years  won  a  position  among  its  leading  merchants.  He 
took  much  interest  in  politics,  and  from  1849  to  1853  was 
a  State  senator.  In  1859  he  was  elected  Governor  of  New 
York,  and  filled  the  office  with  the  same  prudence  and  ability 
that  distinguished  him  as  a  man  of  business.  During  the 
Civil  War  some  220,000  men  were  raised,  equipped,  and  sent 
by  him  into  the  field.  From  1863  to  1869  he  represented 
New  York  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  The  Secre- 
taryship of  the  Treasury  was  offered  him  by  President  Lin- 
coln, and  also  by  President  Arthur.  He  died  on  February 
14,  1883,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age. 

Governor  Morgan's  first  gift  to  the  Union  Seminary  was 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  Library ;  he  then  gave 
another  hundred  thousand  dollars  toward  the  land  on  which  the 
present  buildings  stand ;  and  in  his  will  he  left  the  institution 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars  more.  Dr.  Hitchcock  speaks  of 
his  religious  character  as  of  the  most  sincere  and  solid  type, 
adding:  "Towards  the  end  of  his  busy  life  he  waked  up  to  the 
great  privilege  of  Christian  beneficence,  keenly  regretting  that 
he  had  lost  so  much  time,  and  so  many  opportunities  of  ser- 
vice." On  this  point,  as  also  upon  several  striking  features 
of  his  strong  character,  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  Cady, 
the  distinguished  architect,  throws  a  clear  light. 

Alpine,  N.  J.,  July  11,  1889. 
My  dear  Dr.  Prentiss,  — 

In  sending  3-011  some  account  of  my  impressions  of  Governor 
Morgan,  let  me  say  thut  they  were  gained  during  the  last  two  j-ears 


EDWIN  DENISON  MORGAN.  241 

of  his  life,  when  my  relations  were  quite  intimate  with  him  in  devis- 
ing and  carrying  out  the  scheme  for  "  Morgan  Hall,"  his  noble 
gift  to  Williams  College. 

As  this  was  the  first  enterprise  of  the  kind  in  which  he  had  been 
engaged,  and  I  a  new  acquaintance,  —  introduced  to  him  by  Presi- 
dent Carter,  —  he  proceeded  at  first  with  much  caution,  weighing 
carefully  each  practical  detail,  and  considering  its  bearing  upon 
the  welfare  of  the  College.  He  took  pains,  notwithstanding  his 
extensive  personal  business,  to  satisfy  himself  as  to  the  value  and 
probable  results  of  various  schemes  and  modifications,  and  let 
nothing  pass  him  without  closest  scrutiny.  Later,  when  his  confi- 
dence was  gained,  he  exercised  the  same  care  in  mastering  matters 
of  detail,  but  with  the  difference  that  he  now  gave  greater  weight 
to  professional  opinions  and  advice,  and  spoke  very  fully  of  his 
aims  and  desires.  One  could  not  come  thus  in  contact  with  him 
without  being  strongly  impressed  with  the  force  and  real  greatness 
of  the  man.  An  interview  was  a  tonic, — as  invigorating  as  the 
mountain  breeze, — and  I  never  left  him  without  feeling  greatly 
stimulated  b}'  it. 

As  the  Williams  building  progressed,  his  personal  interest  and 
pleasure  in  it  constantly'  increased.  One  day,  after  speaking  of 
his  new-found  enjoyment,  he  said:  "I  see  now  clearly  that  it 
has  been  the  greatest  mistake  of  my  life  that  I  have  not  engaged 
in  this  kind  of  thing  before  ;  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  pleasures  I 
have  ever  experienced.  And  what  a  host  of  opportunities  I  have 
lost !  If  men  of  means  could  only  realize  what  gratification  is  to 
be  derived  in  this  wa}',  worthy  and  deserving  objects  would  be 
fairly  besieged  with  clamorous  donors."  A  number  of  times  he 
expressed  his  deep  regret  at  not  having  realized  earlier  in  life  the 
pleasure  to  be  derived  from  judicious  giving. 

Whatever  Governor  Morgan  undertook  he  carried  out  most 
thoroughly,  and  in  the  matter  of  Morgan  Hall  he  set  aside  a  sura 
sufficient  for  the  completion  and  equipment  of  the  building,  and, 
realizing  the  uncertainty  of  life,  added  a  clause  to  his  will  making 
the  whole  secure  in  event  of  his  death.  Further  than  this,  fearing 
that  unforeseen  contingencies  might  arise  requiring  an  additional 
sum  to  complete  it,  he  added  twenty  thousand  dollars  for  such 
emergencies. 

The  building  was,  however,  completed  substantially  for  the  sura 
originally  contemplated,  and  the  Governor,  greatly  pleased,  directed 
16 


242  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

President  Carter  to  use  the  additional  sum  for  a  fund  to  keep  the 
building  and  grounds  in  order. 

His  interest  in  this  work  led  him  to  consider  seriously  several 
other  schemes  of  the  kind,  when  he  was  suddenly-  called  from 
earthl}'  activities  to  enter  into  rest. 

It  should  be  mentioned,  that,  with  his  dignity  and  strong  in- 
tellectual force,  he  was  a  man  of  a  sincerely  affectionate  dis- 
position. All  who  knew  him  intimately-  found  that  his  death 
occasioned  a  deep  sense  of  loss,  —  one  that  comes  only  where  the 
affections  have  been  touched,  and  heart  has  made  its  impression 
on  heart. 

Very  siucerel}'  yours, 

J.  Cleveland  Cady. 


EDWARD  ROBINSON.  243 


11. 

PROFESSORS. 

Edward  Robinson  was  born  in  Soiithington,  Conn.,  on 
April  10,  1794.  He  came  of  an  old  New  England  stock,  and 
inherited  some  of  the  best  Puritan  qualities,  both  mental  and 
moral.  His  father,  the  Rev.  William  Robinson,  graduated  at 
Yale  College  in  the  class  of  1773,  and  in  1780  was  settled  as 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Southington,  where 
he  died,  on  August  15,  1825,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one.  In  a 
biography  of  him,  prepared  by  his  son  Edward  and  printed  for 
private  distribution  in  1859,  he  is  depicted  as  a  man  of  the 
type  of  his  eminent  contemporaries,  Drs.  Dwight,  Bellamy, 
and  Smalley,  —  a  man  of  uncommon  intellectual  vigor,  solid- 
ity, and  strength  of  character,  as  also  of  great  business  energy 
and  public  spirit.  He  was  a  very  thrifty  farmer,  as  well  as  an 
able  preacher,  carried  on  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill,  and  be- 
came the  wealthiest  man  in  Southington.  Edward  Robinson's 
mother,  a  pious,  sensible,  and  excellent  woman,  was  Elizabeth 
Norton,  of  Farmington.  Being  of  a  slender  constitution  and 
unable  to  do  hard  work  on  the  farm,  Edward  was  apprenticed, 
when  sixteen  years  old,  to  a  Mr.  Whittlesey,  of  Southington. 

But  his  passion  for  knowledge  soon  showed  that  business 
was  not  his  calling,  and  in  1812  he  entered  Hamilton  College, 
where  his  maternal  uncle,  Seth  Norton,  was  a  Professor.  He 
ranked  as  the  first  scholar  of  his  class  through  its  whole 
course  and  in  every  department  of  study.  Graduating  in 
1816,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  James  Strong  at  Hudson, 
N.  Y.,  but  soon  aftef  accepted  a  tutorsliip  in  Hamilton  Col- 
lege, and  for  a  year  gave  instruction  in  mathematics  and 
Greek.     In   the   autumn  of  1818  he  was  married   to   Eliza 


244  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Kirkland,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  the  mission- 
ary to  the  Oneida  Indians,  and  sister  of  the  celebrated  John 
Thornton  Kirkland,  President  of  Harvard  College.  By  her 
death  in  less  than  a  year  after  their  marriage,  he  was  left  in 
possession  of  a  valuable  farm,  which  she  had  inherited  from 
her  father.  Here  he  continued  to  reside  till  the  autumn  of 
1821,  when  he  went  to  Andover,  Mass.,  in  order  to  publisli 
there  an  edition  of  eleven  books  of  the  Iliad.  The  work  ap- 
peared in  1822. 

At  Andover  he  quickly  came  into  intimate  relations  with 
Moses  Stuart,  by  whose  influence  he  was  appointed,  in  the 
autumn  of  1823,  Instructor  in  Hebrew.  Professor  Stuart  was 
then  at  the  height  of  his  remarkable  career  as  a  Biblical 
scholar;  but  Edward  Robinson  soon  won  for  himself  a  name 
in  the  same  department,  which,  if  not  as  brilliant,  was  full 
of  the  largest  promise.  In  1826  he  resigned  his  position  at 
Andover,  and  went  abroad  for  purposes  of  enlarged  philo- 
logical study.  He  remained  abroad  four  years,  passing  the 
time  chiefly  at  Halle  and  Berlin,  but  visiting  also  France, 
Switzerland,  Italy,  and  the  northern  countries  of  Europe.  Not 
a  few  of  the  most  illustrious  scholars,  theologians,  and  philos- 
ophers of  Germany  were  then  living,  —  some  of  them  in  the 
very  zenith  of  their  power  and  fame.  With  Tholuck  and  Gese- 
nius  at  Halle,  and  with  Neander  and  Ritter  at  Berlin,  not  to 
mention  others,  Mr.  Robinson  became  closely  acquainted.  His 
residence  in  Germany  not  only  opened  to  him  vast  treasures 
of  Biblical  learning,  and  familiarized  him  with  her  language 
as  well  as  her  methods  of  study  and  her  solid  scholarship, 
but  it  led  also  to  an  event  that  shaped  his  whole  future  do- 
mestic life.  On  the  7th  of  August,  1828,  he  was  married  to 
Therese  Albertine  Louise,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Staats- 
rath  von  Jacob,  for  many  years  Professor  in  the  University  of 
Halle.  She  had  already  attained  literary  distinction,  and  was 
destined  to  attain  still  greater,  in  both  her  native  and  adopted 
country.    Mr.  Robinson  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1830, 


EDWARD   ROBTNSON.  245 

and  soon  after  was  appointed  Pj-ofessor  Extraordinary  of  Sa- 
cred Literatnre,  and  Librarian,  in  the  Theological  Seminary 
at  Andover.  In  this  position  he  remained  three  years,  when, 
in  consequence  of  the  breaking  down  of  his  health,  he  resigned 
and  took  up  his  abode  in  Boston.  During  these  three  years 
in  Andover  he  performed  an  amount  of  literary  labor  truly 
astonishing,  more  especially  in  founding  and  editing  The  Bib- 
lical Repository.  Nearly  one  half  of  all  the  articles  in  tlie 
first  four  volumes  of  that  invaluable  work  were  written  by  his 
own  hand.  In  an  advertisement  to  the  fourth  volume,  dated 
Boston,  October  1,  1834,  he  writes  :  — 

With  the  present  volume  the  labors  of  the  undersigned  as  editor 
of  the  Biblical  Repository  close.  As  its  founder  and  conductor, 
he  has  now  for  four  years  devoted  his  best  time  and  talents  to  the 
work,  and  has  been  cheered  in  his  progress  by  the  high  approbation 
of  eminent  Christian  scholars  and  divines  in  this  and  foreign  lands. 
But  this  approbation  has  been  won,  and  the  work  hitherto  sus- 
tained, at  an  expense  of  time  and  labor  for  which  nothing  in  the 
shape  of  adequate  remuneration  has  been  received  by  the  editor, 
further  than  the  consciousness  of  not  having  labored  in  vain. 
Under  these  circumstances,  and  bowed  down  with  broken  health, 
he  feels  it  to  be  a  duty  which  he  owes  to  himself,  to  his  family-,  and 
perhaps  to  the  churches,  to  withdraw  from  the  station  which  he  has 
hitherto  occupied  as  tlie  conductor  of  a  public  journal. 

In  thus  retiring  from  this  more  public  station,  it  is  by  no  means 
his  intention  to  abandon  the  field  of  labor  in  which  it  has  so  long 
been  the  business  and  solace  of  his  life  to  hold  a  humble  place. 
But  whether  his  days  shall  be  prolonged  for  the  completion  of  other 
works  illustrative  of  the  Bible,  or  whether  his  race  of  life  be  soon 
to  close,  he  would  ever  say.  Thy  will,  O  God,  be  done  ! 

Happily,  nearly  thirty  more  years  of  life  were  to  be  given 
him  for  the  "completion  of  other  works  illustrative  of  the 
Bible,"  as  well  as  for  inestimable  service  in  helping  to  organ- 
ize the  Union  Theological  Seminary.  In  1836  appeared  his 
translation  of  Gesenius's  Hebrew  Lexicon.  The  same  year 
his  G-reek  and  English  Lexicon  of  the  New  Testament,  one  of 
his  greatest  contributions  to  Biblical  science,  was  published. 


246  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Almost  simultaneously  with  its  publication  he  was  called  to 
the  chair  of  Biblical  Literature  in  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary.  His  letter  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  announcing 
his  acceptance  of  their  call,  is  one  of  the  most  important 
documents  connected  with  the  early  history  of  the  institution. 
It  is  dated  New  York,  January  20,  1837,  and  the  larger  part 
of  it  is  here  given  :  — 

Gentlemen  :  Having  been  for  some  months  hi  this  city  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  information  as  to  the  plan  and  prospects  of 
the  Seminary  under  your  charge,  and  having  received  on  ever}' 
hand  the  most  frank  and  full  communications,  I  am  now  ready, 
after  prayerful  and  careful  consideration,  to  give  an  answer  to  the 
letter  of  your  committee  announcing  that  you  had  unanimously 
elected  me  to  the  office  of  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  in  the 
Seminary. 

It  has  been  to  me  a  matter  of  high  gratification  to  find  that  the 
Seminar}',  in  its  rise  and  future  prospects,  rests  upon  the  sinews  of 
Christian  enterprise  and  piety  in  the  cit}'  of  New  York  ;  that  it  is 
the  nursling  of  the  churches  in  the  city,  and  as  such  will,  if  de- 
serving, be  borne  in  their  arms,  and  cherished  in  their  warm  affec- 
tions. Thus  founded  and  nurtured,  if  it  be  conducted  in  the  same 
spirit,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  to  a  believing  mind,  tliat  God  will 
make  it  the  instrument  of  great  good,  and  crown  it  with  abundant 
prosperity.  The  great  principles  of  faith  and  practice  on  which 
the  Seminary  is  founded  have  my  full  and  cordial  assent ;  and  it 
has  thus  far  been,  as  it  will  hereafter  be,  the  desire  and  effort  of  my 
life  to  inculcate  those  principles,  and  extend  their  influence  so  far 
as  God  shall  give  me  opportunity. 

In  aid  of  this  great  object,  permit  me  here  to  offer  a  few  sug- 
gestions in  reference  to  the  department  to  which  you  have  called  me, 
which  are  chiefly  the  result  of  personal  experience,  and  may  have, 
perhaps,  a  bearing  upon  the  future  influence  and  interests  of  the 
Seminary. 

The  constitution  properly  requires  every  Professor  to  declare 
that  he  beUeves  "the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments 
to  be  the  Word  of  God,  the  only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  prac- 
tice." This  is  placing  the  Bible  in  its  true  position,  as  the  only 
foundation  of  Christian  theology.  It  follows  as  a  necessar}'  con- 
sequence, that  the  study  of  the  Bible,  as  taught  in  the  department 


EDWARD  roblxson:  247 

of  Biblical  Literature,  must  lie  at  the  foundation  of  all  right  theo- 
logical education.  To  understand  the  Bible,  the  student  must 
know  all  about  the  Bible.  It  is  not  a  mere  smattering  of  Greek 
and  Hebrew,  not  the  mere  abilit}-  to  consult  a  text  in  the  original 
Scriptures,  that  can  qualify  him  to  be  a  correct  interpreter  of  the 
word  of  life.  He  must  be  thoroughly  furnished  for  his  work,  if  he 
be  expected  to  do  his  work  well.  A  bare  enumeration  of  the  par- 
ticulars that  fall  within  the  department  of  Biblical  Literature  will 
show  that  it  covers  a  wider  field  than  is  generally  supposed.  To  it 
properly  belong  full  courses  of  instruction  in  the  Hebrew,  Greek, 
and  Chaldee  languages,  and  also,  as  auxiliaries,  in  the  Syriac, 
Arabic,  and  other  minor  dialects,  in  Biblical  Introduction,  or  the 
History  of  the  Bible  as  a  whole,  and  its  various  parts,  its  writers, 
its  manuscripts,  editions,  versions,  etc.,  in  Biblical  Criticism,  or  the 
history  and  condition  of  the  text,  in  Biblical  Ilermeneutics,  or  the 
theorj'  and  principles  of  interpi-etation,  in  Biblical  Exegesis,  or 
the  practical  application  of  those  principles  to  the  study  and  inter- 
pretation of  the  sacred  books,  in  Biblical  Antiquities,  and,  further, 
a  separate  consideration  of  the  version  of  the  Sevent}',  as  a  chief 
source  of  illustration  for  both  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 

I  do  not  make  this  enumeration  in  order  to  magnify  my  own  de- 
partment, —  far  from  it,  —  but  rather  to  lead  your  minds  to  see  and 
inquire,  "Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?  "  Certainly  it  does 
not  lie  within  the  power  of  any  one  man,  whoever  he  may  be,  to  do 
justice  to  all  these  important  topics.  But  there  must  be  in  every 
great  undertaking  a  day  of  small  things,  there  must  be  months  and 
even  3'ears  of  weakness,  though  3'et  of  growth,  and  m}'  object  in 
these  remarks  will  be  accomplished  if  thej'  serve  to  draw  3'our 
attention  to  the  importance  of  the  general  subject,  and  thus  pre- 
pare the  way  for  further  action,  whenever  God  in  his  providence 
shall  seem  to  render  it  expedient. 

In  this  connection,  permit  me  to  suggest  whether  it  may  not  in 
due  time  be  advisable  to  connect  with  the  Seminarj-  a  popular 
class  for  Biblical  instruction,  intended  particularly'  to  prepare  pious 
young  men  as  teachers  of  Bible  classes  and  in  Sabbath  schools. 
On  the  general  subject  of  a  Librarj',  it  is  here  only  proper  to  re- 
mark, that  a  full  apparatus  of  books  in  ever}*  department  of  the- 
ology is  of  course  indispensable  to  the  prosperity  of  the  institution. 
In  particular,  the  Library  should  also  contain  a  complete  series  of 
the  works  of  the  Fathers,  so  called,  in  the  best  editions,  and  with 


248  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

proper  apparatus,  and  also  the  best  editions  of  every  Greek  and 
Roman  writer,  with  the  necessary'  aids  for  their  elucidation.  There 
is  not  a  page  of  any  Greek  writer  which  does  not  in  some  way 
yield  illustration  to  the  sacred  text,  and  the  same  is  true  also,  in  a 
modified  sense,  of  all  the  Roman  writers. 

Another  thing  which  has  often  struck  me  as  of  great  importance 
in  connection  with  an  institution  of  this  kind  is  the  power  of  the 
press.  At  the  present  time  there  are  in  this  countr}'  quite  a  num- 
ber of  theological  works,  the  manuals  and  text-books  of  our  theo- 
logical seminaries,  which  have  been  and  can  be  priuted  oxAy  at  a 
single  press  in  the  whole  land,  and  that  connected  with  a  sister 
seminary.  The  influence  which  that  press  has  thus  exerted,  and 
must  still  exert,  is  obvious  to  all ;  and  I  am  aware  of  no  external 
aid  more  powerful  than  this  to  build  up  and  extend  both  the  theo- 
logical and  literary  reputation  of  a  seminar}'.  At  a  comparativel}' 
small  expense  founts  of  Greek  and  Oriental  type  may  be  procured, 
which  can  easily  be  so  placed  in  connection  wath  the  institution,  or 
under  its  control,  as  to  accomplish  great  effects  without  further 
expense  or  hazard  to  the  Seminary. 

There  remains  a  single  point  which  is  personal  to  myself.  It  is 
known  to  some  of  you  that  I  am  connected  b}-  family  ties  with 
Europe,  and  that  it  has  been  my  purpose  to  visit  that  continent 
during  the  present  year.  This  purpose  m}'  duty  to  my  familj-  com- 
pels me  not  to  forego,  while  3'et  m}'  visit  tliither  might  be  rendered 
available  to  the  Seminary  in  the  purchase  of  books  for  the  Library, 
and  in  the  establishment  of  such  correspondence  and  agencies  as 
should  greatly  facilitate  the  procurement  of  them  in  future.  At  the 
same  time,  I  have  for  3'ears  connected  with  the  idea  of  this  voyage 
the  hope  and  intention  of  visiting  Palestine,  with  reference  to  the 
preparation  of  a  Biblical  Geography,  a  work  much  needed  in  our 
theological  seminaries.  Nor  can  I  doubt  that  such  a  visit  would 
increase  in  a  high  degree  my  feeble  qualifications  as  a  teacher  of 
the  Bible. 

He  then  says  tliat,  in  order  to  carry  out  his  purpose  of  visit- 
ing Europe,  leave  of  absence  "  for  a  period  not  exceeding  one 
academic  year  "  would  be  requisite  ;  it  being  understood  that  a 
suitable  person  should  be  employed,  at  his  charge,  to  perform 
the  duties  of  the  department  during  his  absence,  and  that  his 
time  while  in  Europe  should  be  at  the  disposal  of  the  Board 


EDWARD  ROBINSON.  249 

as  far  as  they  might  wish  to  avail  themselves  of  it  for  any  ob- 
jects connected  with  the  Seminary.     His  letter  closes  thus : 

Should  you  deem  it  compatible  with  the  interests  of  the  Semi- 
nary that  I  take  the  office  under  this  condition,  I  am  ready  to 
throw  myself  heart  and  soul  into  the  work,  and  exert  to  the  utmost 
all  the  feeble  powers  which  God  has  given  me,  trusting  that  in 
co-operation  with  ray  respected  colleagues,  and  with  the  blessing  of 
God  upon  His  own  work,  an  institution  may  be  raised  up  wliich, 
by  its  happy  influence  upon  the  churches  of  this  city  and  of  our 
land,  shall  repay  a  hundred-fold  into  the  bosoms  of  its  founders 
the  cares  and  exertions  and  sacrifices  which  they  have  been  called 
to  make  in  its  behalf. 

In  accordance  with  the  condition  mentioned  in  this  letter, 
Dr.  Robinson  set  sail  for  the  Old  World,  July  17,  1837,  and, 
leaving  his  family  in  Berlin,  proceeded  at  once  to  the  East. 
Early  in  1838,  accompanied  by  the  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  an  hon- 
ored missionary  of  the  American  Board,  he  entered  upon  the 
task  of  thoroughly  exploring  the  Holy  Land.  In  October  he 
rejoined  his  family  at  Berlin,  where  he  remained  nearly  two 
years,  busied  in  preparing  for  the  press  his  Biblical  Researches. 
In  1841  this  great  work  appeared  simultaneously  here,  in 
England,  and  in  Germany.  It  was  greeted  with  universal  ap- 
plause. In  1842  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  of  London 
awarded  him  a  gold  medal,  and  the  University  of  Halle  hon- 
ored him,  as  Dartmouth  College  had  done  in  1831,  witli  the 
degree  of  D.  D.  Two  years  later,  he  received  the  degree  of 
LL.  D.  from  Yale  College.  In  the  autumn  of  1851  the  Board 
of  Directors,  unsolicited,  voted  him  leave  of  absence  for  a 
second  exploring  tour  in  Palestine.  Setting  out  in  December 
of  that  year,  he  visited  Berlin,  landed  in  Beirout  early  in  April, 
1852,  accomplished  the  new  exploration,  and  reached  New 
York  again  on  the  27th  of  October.  In  1856  the  results  of 
this  journey  appeared  in  a  new  volume  of  Researches}    Dr. 

1  This  volume  contains  the  following  Dedication  :  "To  Charles  Bctler, 
Esq.,  of  New  York,  the  Earnest  Promoter  of  Christian  Lcarninfj  and  of  Chris- 
tian Enterprise,  a  Friend  of  many  Years'  Standing,  to  whose  Encouragement 


250  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Robinson  projected  another  great  work  on  the  Holy  Land,  to 
be  entitled  Biblical  Creography ;  but  although  fully  planned 
and  actually  begun,  ill  health  and  the  failure  of  his  eyesight 
prevented  its  completion.  In  May,  1862,  he  went  abroad  for 
the  purpose  of  consulting  Dr.  Graefe  of  Berlin,  the  renowned 
oculist.  But  the  end  was  rapidly  drawing  near.  He  returned 
to  New  York  about  the  middle  of  November,  and  on  Tuesday 
evening,  January  27,  1863,  quietly  passed  away  from  earth,  in 
the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

A  little  volume,  published  by  'Anson  D.  F.  Randolph  in 
1863,  contains  warm  and  just  tributes  to  his  memory  by  two 
of  his  colleagues.^  I  give  a  single  extract  from  the  remarks 
of  Prof.  Henry  B.  Smith  :  — 

Francis  Bacon  tells  us  that  there  are  three  kinds  of  workmen : 
spiders,  who  spin  all  from  their  own  bowels  ;  ants,  who  simply  col- 
lect ;  bees,  who  collect  and  work  over.  Dr.  Robinson  is  to  be 
ranked  among  the  latter  of  these  classes,  having  left  something 
well  worked  over  for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  He  was  emphati- 
cally a  working  man,  seduced  neither  by  tlie  pleasures  of  imagina- 
tion nor  by  the  subtleties  of  metaphysical  refinement.  A  "large 
roundabout  common  sense"  characterized  all  he  did  and  said;  an 
inflexible  honesty  presided  over  his  investigations.  Of  himself  and 
his  own  works  he  rarely  spoke  unless  solicited,  and  then  briefly ; 
but  he  was  always  ready  to  impart  what  he  knew,  that  he  might 
increase  the  sum  of  knowledge.  Attached  to  the  faith  in  which 
he  was  bred,  he  was  never  a  polemic  ;  he  never  took  pai't  in  eccle- 
siastical agitations  ;  he  stood  aloof  from  doctrinal  controversy,  and 
ever  showed  a  truly  catholic  and  magnanimous  spirit. 

In  person  he  was  built  upon  a  large  and  even  massive  scale  ; 
with  broad  shoulders  and  muscular  limbs,  that  denoted  capacity  for 
great  endurance  and  toil ;  crowned  with  a  head  of  unusual  volume, 
a  broad  and  open  forehead,  with  perceptive  powers  predominant ; 
a  shaggy   eyebrow,    a   full   bright   piercing   eye,    though    usually 

anrl  Aid  in  this  Second  Journey  to  the  Holj'  Land  the  Author  has  been  greatly 
indebted,  This  Volume  is  gratefully  dedicated." 

1  The  Life,  Writings,  and  Character  of  Edward  Robinson,  D.  D..  LL.  D., 
read  before  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  by  Henry  B.  Smith,  D.D.,  and 
Roswell  D.  Hitchcock,  D.  D.     Published  by  Request  of  the  Society. 


HENRY  WHITE.  251 

shaded  through  infirmit}-;  and  altogether  giving  the  impression, 
even  to  a  casual  observer,  of  a  man  of  weight  and  mark.  ...  In 
his  character,  habits,  associations,  and  sympathies,  he  was  ever}' 
whit  an  American,  and  loved  his  country  more  the  more  he  knew 
of  other  lands.  He  died  in  the  midst  of  the  perils  and  darkness 
caused  by  the  "  weight  of  armies  and  the  shock  of  steel"  ;  but  he 
did  not  doubt  the  final  triumph  of  the  cause  of  liberty  and  law. 

Henry  White,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Durham,  N.  Y.,  on  June 
19,  1800.  His  early  years  were  spent  mostly  in  laboring  on 
Ills  father's  farm.  In  the  winter  he  attended  tlie  district 
school,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  began  himself  to  teach. 
When  about  eighteen  he  passed  through  a  sharp  spiritual 
conflict,  which  at  length  issued  in  Christian  peace  and  hope. 
Soon  after,  he  united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Cairo, 
a  few  miles  from  his  native  place.  He  was  fitted  for  college 
in  the  Academy  at  Greencastle,  N.  Y.,  then  under  the  care  of 
Mr.  Andrew  Huntington,  and  joined  the  Junior  class  in  Union 
College  in  1822.  The  following  extract  from  a  letter  of  the 
Eev.  Dr.  J.  D.  Wickham,  of  Manchester,  Vt.,  dated  December 
17,  1886,  touches  upon  this  period  of  his  life  :  — 

My  first  acquaintance  with  Dr.  White  was  when  he  had  com- 
menced a  course  of  studj'  preparatory  for  college,  with  a  view  to 
entering  the  Christian  ministr}-.  This  was  in  Greencastle,  N.  Y. 
The  venerable  Pastor  Ilotchkiss  of  that  place  introduced  him  to  me 
as  a  5'oung  man  of  high  promise,  who  needed  and  should  have  help 
in  obtaining  an  education  for  the  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel. 
I  was  at  that  time  an  agent  of  the  Presbyterian  branch  of  the 
American  Education  Society,  having  been  engaged  for  this  service 
b}-  the  Rev.  Drs.  Richards  and  Ililher,  the  committee  for  agencies. 
It  may  interest  you  to  read  a  memorandum  then  made  regarding 
one  who  in  the  course  of  time  was  to  be  the  first  Professor  of  Sys- 
tematic Theology  in  the  Union  Theological  Seminary.  It  is  as 
follows :  — 

Henry  "WTiite  of  Cairo,  N.  Y.  For  two  years  a  member  of  Green- 
castle Academy.  He  wishes  to  enter  the  Junior  class  in  Union  College. 
Characterized  by  Rev.  Mr.  Ilotchkiss  as  a  pious,  discreet,  and  excellent 
young  man,  highly  esteemed  iu  this  place,  called  a  very  good  scholar 


252  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

by  his  instructors,  not  brilliant,  but  judicious  and  accurate.  Was  ex- 
amined by  Professors  of  Union  College  and  recommended  to  the  Amer- 
ican Education  Society  two  years  ago.  His  father  is  poor,  but  endeavors 
to  help  him  to  a  part  of  his  clothing.  Upon  acquaintance  am  much 
interested  in  the  young  man.     What  shall  he  do? 

The  above  is  my  memorandum  made  in  1822.  Having  a  few- 
days  before  been  told  by  the  Eev.  Dr.  Porter,  then  pastor  of  the 
Presb3-terian  Churcli  in  Catskill,  that  a  Ladies'  Education  Societ}' 
in  his  congregation  would  be  willing  to  appropriate  their  funds 
to  some  worth V  3'oung  man  preparing  for  the  ministr}',  I  wrote  to 
him  about  Mr.  White.  The  result  was  that  his  expenses  were 
borne  by  that  society  till  he  bad  finished  his  college  course. 
When,  therefore,  our  acquaintance  was  renewed  by  Mr.  White's 
call  to  the  pastorate  of  Allen  Street  Church,  I  was  accustomed  to 
help  him  in  emergencies  by  preaching  in  his  pulpit,  and  on  one 
occasion  bj-  taking  part  in  a  course  of  lectures  to  his  people  on 
Church  History.  We  met  as  old  friends  as  often  as  we  found 
ourselves  together  at  the  assembling  of  Chi  Alpha. 

Mr.  White  was  especially  distinguished,  during  his  college 
course,  in  the  departments  of  mathematics  and  philosophy, 
and  graduated  with  high  honor  in  1824.  Having  studied 
theology  at  Princeton  for  two  years,  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Columbia,  in  1826.  Soon  after, 
he  undertook  an  agency  for  the  American  Bible  Society  in 
the  South.  In  1828  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Allen  Street 
Church  in  this  city,  and  was  installed  as  its  pastor.  Having 
taken  an  active  part  in  founding  the  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary, he  was  elected  to  be  its  first  Professor  of  Systematic 
Theology.  On  the  death  of  Dr.  Richards  he  received  a  call 
to  the  same  chair  in  the  Auburn  Theological  Seminary ;  but 
he  declined  the  call,  and  continued  his  labors  in  this  institu- 
tion until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  August  25,  1850.  To 
the  last  moment  his  self-possession  and  peace  of  mind  re- 
mained undisturbed.  In  response  to  an  inquiry  of  his  physi- 
cian he  exclaimed :  "  Oh  the  unspeakable  preciousness  of  the 
atonement  by  the  blood  of  Christ !  I  have  preached  it  for 
years,  and  taught  others  to  preach  it,  and  now  I  know  its 


HENRY  WHITE.  253 

worth."  A  few  extracts  from  a  warm  and  discriminating 
tribute  to  his  memory,  written  by  his  friend,  Dr.  Asa  D. 
Smith,  will  show  what  manner  of  man  he  was,  both  as  a 
pastor  and  theological  teacher  :  — 

For  more  than  fifteen  years  I  was  intimately  associated  with 
him,  —  at  first  as  a  co-presbyter,  and  one  of  his  nearest  ministerial 
neighbors,  and  much  of  the  time  afterwards  as  one  of  the  Direc- 
tors in  the  Seminary  in  wliich  he  attained  such  eminence  as  a  tlieo- 
logical  teacher.  During  most  of  the  last  years  of  his  life,  my 
relations  with  him  were  still  more  peculiar,  —  almost  those  of  a  co- 
pastor.  I  Ivnew  him  well,  and  sorrowfully  feel  that,  while  I  had 
few  such  friends  to  lose,  there  remain  to  the  Church  few  such  men 
in  the  list  of  her  public  servants. 

As  to  his  personal  appearance,  Dr.  White  was  of  medium  height 
and  of  rather  spare  form.  He  had  a  very  keen  eye,  a  loft}-,  expan- 
sive forehead,  and  in  all  respects  a  contour  and  cast  of  countenance 
indicative  of  intellect  and  energy  of  character.  The  furrows  of 
thought  and  care  in  his  face,  and  the  premature  and  unusual  white- 
ness of  his  hair,  made  him  appear  much  older  than  he  really  was. 
Though  but  fift}'  at  his  death,  a  stranger,  judging  from  the  venera- 
ble aspect  he  presented  in  the  pulpit,  would  have  pronounced  him 
at  least  sixt}'.  His  personal  habits  were  marked  by  great  plain- 
ness and  simplicity,  yet  he  was  ever  afl^able  and  courteous.  He 
had  naturally  a  strong,  discriminating  mind,  well  balanced  and 
abounding  in  practical  wisdom.  He  was  not  of  that  class  who, 
however  profound  in  professional  matters,  as  to  all  common  things 
are  mere  children,  and  need  to  be  kept  in  leading  strings.  A  rare 
counsellor  he  was,  as  well  in  regard  to  life's  minor  matters  as  to  its 
weightier  concernments.  He  was  a  man  of  great  decision,  —  not 
hasty  in  laying  his  plans,  but,  when  thej-  were  once  adopted,  stead- 
fast and  immovable.  I  have  seldom  met  with  a  man  who  held  to 
deliberately  formed  purposes  with  so  tenacious  a  grasp.  He  had 
great  directness  and  transparency  of  character ;  he  was  at  a  great 
remove  from  low  intrigue,  and  from  all  disingenuous  or  dishonest 
management.  Sagacious  he  was  indeed,  skilled  in  men  as  well  as 
books  ;  he  knew  better  than  most  how  to  approach  most  felicitously 
our  many-sided  humanity ;  he  knew  what  a  Roman  poet  has  called 
the  "tempora  mollia  fandi."  He  was  in  all  points  reliable;  ^ou 
knew  not  only  where  to  find  him,  but  where  he  would  remain. 


254  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

As  a  preacher  he  was  eminently  thoughtful,  clear,  convincing, 
and  pungent.  Professor  of  theology  though  he  was,  deeplj'  versed 
in  metaphysical  subtleties,  yet  all  who  were  accustomed  to  hear 
him  can  bear  witness  how  plain  and  scriptural,  how  suited  to  min- 
ister, not  to  "  vain  jangling,"  but  to  "  godly  edifying,"  were  his 
topics  and  his  treatment  of  them.  His  career  as  a  pastor  was 
very  successful.  With  the  tenderest  interest  do  the  members  of 
the  Allen  Street  Presbyterian  Church  still  recur  to  the  scenes  of 
his  ministry  among  them.  As  nearly  as  I  am  able  to  ascertain, 
not  far  from  four  hundred  persons  were,  during  the  eight  years 
of  his  pastorship,  received  into  the  church,  about  one  hundred  and 
ninety  of  them  on  profession  of  their  faith. 

As  a  teacher  of  theology'.  Dr.  White  had  peculiar  and  almost 
unrivalled  excellence.  His  system  was  eclectic,  but  yet  origi- 
nal and  independent,  —  the  result  of  his  own  cai-eful  examination 
and  profound  analysis.  He  loved  the  old  paths  of  God's  Word. 
Though  he  called  no  man  master,  his  system  was  Calvinistic  in  its 
great  outlines  ;  yet  to  him  it  was  greater  praise  to  call  it  Biblical. 
And  eminentl}"  skilled  was  he  in  unfolding  it  to  his  pupils.  Re- 
markable especiall}-  was  his  tact  in  setting  their  own  minds  at 
work,  and  then  meeting,  by  a  single  condensed  statement,  by  a  sin- 
gle but  clear  distinction,  b}'  a  familiar  but  luminous  illustration, 
whatever  difficulty  their  awakened  intellects  might  be  troubled 
with.  Great  and  almost  irreparable  is  his  loss  to  our  Seminary. 
He  was  its  first  Professor,  he  began  with  its  beginning,  he  had 
personal  experience  of  all  its  trials,  and  the  point  of  prosperity 
which  the  institution  has  in  so  short  a  time  reached  is  in  no  small 
degree  ascribable  to  his  great  ability,  his  unwearied  labor,  and  his 
ready  and  ample  sacrifices.  As  children  for  a  father,  so  mourn 
the  students  for  him. 

Thomas  Harvey  Skinner,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  was  born  near 
Harvey's  Neck,  N.  C,  on  March  7,  1791.  He  entered  the 
College  of  New  Jersey  in  1807,  joining  the  Junior  class. 
On  leaving  college  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  his  brother,  at  Edenton,  N.  C. ;  but  upon  his  conversion, 
shortly  after,  he  decided  to  exchange  the  study  of  law  for 
that  of  divinity.  To  this  end  he  went  to  Princeton,  and  later 
to  Elizabethtown,  where  he  became  a  theological  pupil  of  the 


THOMAS  HARVEY  SKINNER.  255 

Rev.  Dr.  John  McDowell,  a  leading  Presbyterian  pastor  of 
that  day.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  on  December  16,  1812, 
and  ordained  co-pastor  with  Dr.  Jancway  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  on  June  10,  1813. 
In  1816  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Fifth  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Locust  Street,  and  was  installed  over  it  on  December  1. 
A  few  years  later  a  new  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  Arch 
Street,  near  Tenth,  and  dedicated  on  June  8,  1823,  Dr.  Miller 
of  Princeton  preacliing  the  sermon.  Here  he  labored  with 
remarkable  power  and  success.  Early  in  1828  he  accepted  a 
call  to  Boston  ;  but  the  climate  proved  unfriendly,  and  at  the 
earnest  entreaty  of  his  old  flock  in  Arch  Street  he  returned  to 
Pliiladelphia  and  resumed  his  pastorate  there.  In  1832  he 
consented  to  take  the  chair  of  Sacred  Rhetoric  in  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Andover.  In  October,  1835,  the  Mercer 
Street  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York,  was  organized,  and 
Dr.  Skinner  was  invited  to  become  its  pastor.  He  accepted 
the  call,  and  this  was  his  last  and  in  some  respects  most  im- 
portant pastorate.  It  continued  for  thirteen  years,  and  was 
fruitful  in  the  highest  degree.  I  doubt  if  any  other  man  then 
living  could  have  taken  his  place  and  done  his  work  in  New 
York.  The  great  schism  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  was 
soon  to  occur.  The  Union  Theological  Seminary  was  about 
to  be  founded.  Dr.  Skinner's  history,  his  uncommon  weight 
of  personal  and  ministerial  character,  his  wide  acquaintance 
and  intimacy  with  leading  men  in  New  England  and  the 
Middle  States,  and  his  position  as  the  pastor  of  one  of  the 
strongest  metropolitan  churches,  gave  him  an  influence  in 
the  New  School  body,  and  in  sustaining  as  well  as  shaping 
the  course  of  the  Union  Seminary,  which  nobody  else  could 
have  wielded.  To  him,  indirectly  at  least,  the  institution  was 
indebted  for  the  legacy  of  Mr.  James  Roosevelt,  an  honored 
member  of  his  Mercer  Street  flock,  for  the  twenty  thousand 
dollars  bequeathed  to  it  by  one  of  his  old  Philadelphia  friends, 
Mary  Fassitt,  and  for  the  various  gifts  of  Mr.  James  Doorman ; 


256  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

all  of  which  helj^ed  so  effectually  to  rescue  it  from  its  financial 
troubles. 

We  come  now  to  the  closing  period  of  his  public  life.  He 
resigned  his  pastoral  charge  early  in  1848,  and  in  March 
of  that  year  was  inaugurated  Professor  of  Sacred  Rhetoric, 
Pastoral  Theology,  and  Church  Government  in  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary.  In  this  position  he  labored  without 
interruption  for  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century.  On  Febru- 
ary 1,  1871,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age,  he  passed  away 
from  earth.  His  funeral  took  place  on  Saturday,  February  4, 
at  the  Church  of  the  Covenant.  It  was  a  scene  never  to  be 
forgotten  by  those  who  witnessed  it.  The  following  is  an  ex- 
tract from  Dr.  Henry  B.  Smith's  address  on  the  occasion : 

Our  Seminary  owes  as  much  to  Dr.  Skinner  as  to  any  other 
man  ;  in  some  respects,  espeeiall}-  in  its  spiritual  power  and  his- 
tor}',  it  owes  more  to  him  than  to  any  other  man.  I  am  to  saj-  a 
few  words  on  what  he  was  to  us,  and  of  our  special  loss.  A  theo- 
logical seminary  needs  to  be  poised  upon  a  spiritual  centre  ;  not 
only  to  be  rooted  in  Christ  the  Head,  but  also  to  centre  in  some 
visible  impersonation  of  the  spiritual  power  of  a  living  Christian 
faith,  animating  its  members  by  example  and  by  word.  That  was 
the  position  which  our  venerable  senior  Professor  held  (all  uncon- 
sciousl}'  to  himself)  to  both  the  Facultj*  and  the  students  of  this 
institution. 

Few  men  whose  lives  are  so  long  spared  are  what  he  was.  He 
never  outlived  his  enthusiasm  for  anything  good  and  true,  even 
though  it  might  be  new.  On  the  themes  that  interested  him  he 
would  light  up  to  the  last  with  the  fervor  of  ^'outh.  In  his  higher 
mental  powers  he  did  not  seem  to  grow  old.  Now  and  then  the 
brightness  of  his  e^'e  was  dimmed,  his  hearing  became  a  shade  less 
acute,  his  abstraction  from  external  things  was  somewhat  more 
noticeable  ;  but  his  intellect  remained  clear  and  active  ;  his  soul 
gi'ew  larger  with  his  growing  years,  and  the  scope  of  his  spiritual 
vision  was  widened  as  he  mounted  higher  and  higher.  How  easily 
he  surpassed  us  all  in  spiritual  discernment ! 

And  this  was  what  distinguished  him :  while  hving  in  the  world, 
he  lived  above  the  world.  I  have  never  known  a  more  unworldl}' 
character.     He  was  absorbed  by  a  higher  life.     The  so  called  fas- 


THOMAS  HARVEY  SKINNER.  257 

cinations  and  distractions  of  this  teeming  metropolis  were  no  temp- 
tations to  him  ;  he  was  among  them,  but  not  of  them  ;  they  just 
glanced  off  from  his  untarnished  shield.  And  even  in  the  Church 
he  could  never  understand  manoeuvring  and  ecclesiastical  politics  ; 
he  knew  so  little  about  such  b^'-means  that  he  was  really  amazed 
at  them.  He  just  thought  and  said  what  seemed  true,  and  did 
what  seemed  right,  and  all  the  rest  was  no  concern  of  his ;  some- 
bod}'  would  take  care  of  it.  And  he  was  so  single-minded  that, 
had  the  necessit}-  come,  he  would,  I  doubt  not,  have  marched  to 
the  stake  singing  the  song  of  victor3\  He  believed  in  another 
life.  In  Plato's  immortal  description  of  the  cave  and  the  light, 
he  tells  us  that  the  dwellers  in  the  cave  when  they  come  to  the 
light  seem  to  others  to  be  dazed.  There  is  always  a  kind  of  ab- 
straction about  great  thinkers,  poets,  and  divines.  Common  peo- 
ple cannot  quite  see  through  them.  They  speak  from  a  larger 
view,  and  to  a  greater  audience,  than  that  of  their  own  generation. 
Mutely  they  appeal  to  a  coming  tribunal.  And  so  our  departed 
friend  was  at  times  engrossed  and  absorbed  in  the  high  subjects  of 
Christian  thought.  He  pondered  them  by  day  and  by  night.  He 
saw  them  from  the  mount  of  vision.  Pie  described  them  in  glow- 
ing periods.  His  fellowship  was  with  the  Father  and  the  Son.  If 
he  thought  and  spoke  less  of  the  things  of  time,  it  was  because, 
like  Paul,  he  was  rapt  in  a  higher  sphere,  — where  "  God's  glory 
smote  him  in  the  face."  He  was  to  the  last  a  reader,  a  student, 
and  a  thinker.  No  student  in  the  Seminary  had  a  keener  relish 
for  hard  work  than  he,  or  found  more  to  learn.  Until  within  two 
or  three  years  he  was  alwa3's  rewriting  his  lectures  and  even  his 
sermons.  His  most  carefull}'  prepared  work,  his  Discussions  in 
Theology.,  an  admirable  book,  was  published  only  three  years  ago. 
Some  of  the  essays  in  it  are  not  only  complete  in  their  anatomy, 
but  are  finished  with  the  refined  art  of  a  sculptor.  The  same 
volume  also  defines  his  theological  position.  In  seeking  for  truth 
he  never  seemed  to  ask,  What  is  the  view  of  m}'  side?  but.  What 
is  the  truth  itself?  He  did  not  take  his  definitions  from  an}'  man. 
Cordially  attached  to  the  theology  of  the  Reformed  Churches,  he 
was  always  willing  to  merge  lesser  differences  for  the  sake  of  the 
unity  and  prosperity  of  the  Church. 

His  Seminar}-  duties  were  not  official  tasks  ;  he  loved  his  work, 
and  it  grew  upon  him.     His  lectures  on  Church  Government,  and 
Sacred  Rhetoric,  and  the  Pastoral  Office,  were  wrought  out  with 
17 


258  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

comprehensive  thought  and  care.  To  the  very  last  he  read  all  new 
works  on  these  subjects,  though  he  did  not  find  in  them  much  that 
was  new  to  him.  But  he  praised  man}'  a  book,  and  many  a  ser- 
mon, rather  from  the  fulness  of  his  own  vision  than  from  what 
others  could  find  in  them. 

All  true  human  greatness  is  also  humble  ;  it  does  not  seem  to 
seek  its  own.  With  his  acknowledged  superiorit}-,  how  deferential 
was  our  brother  to  others,  even  to  men  of  low  estate !  It  was 
sometimes  embarrassing  to  us  to  find  that  he  was  not  aware  of  his 
own  superior  position.  He  was  among  us  as  one  that  serveth. 
There  was  about  him  a  certain  grace  of  manner,  an  old-time  chiv- 
alry of  tone  (now  almost  a  tradition),  towards  those  less  and 
younger  and  weaker  than  himself,  which  showed  tlie  true  nobilit}' 
of  his  soul.  It  came  from  his  high  sense  of  personal  honor,  which 
made  him  honor  all  men.  He  was  magnanimous,  because  he  was 
humble. 

And  what  a  helper  and  friend  he  was !  His  personal  affections 
were  unswerving.  When  1  came  here,  he  took  me  b}'  the  hand, 
and  its  cordial  pressure  was  never  relaxed.  When  the  pastor  of 
this  church  succeeded  him  in  the  ministry,  no  one  greeted  him 
and  no  one  has  clung  to  him  as  did  he.  He  was  never  weary  of 
talking  of  his  old  friends  at  home  in  North  Carolina,  —  of  Dr. 
Wilson,  and  Brother  Patterson,  and  Albert  Barnes,  with  whom  he 
was  united  in  life,  and  by  death  not  long  divided,  — of  his  teachers 
and  classmates  in  Nassau  Hall.  What  he  was  as  a  husband  and  a 
father,  —  dearest  of  all  earthl}'  names,  —  the\'  only  fully  know  who 
to-daj-  mourn  most  deepl}-  and  are  most  deeply  comforted. 

A  thousand  of  his  pupils,  all  over  our  countrj'  and  in  manj'  a 
distant  land,  mourn  with  us  his  loss ;  and  many  thousands  to 
whom  he  preached  the  Gospel  will  sorrow  for  him  who  led  them  to 
Christ,  and  by  his  own  life  showed  the  way. 

As  a  teacher  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  he  was  cordially  at- 
tached to  its  doctrine  and  government.  But  this  did  not  exclude, 
it  rather  favored,  his  love  for  the  whole  body  of  Christ.  It  not 
only  gave  him  zeal  for  our  auspicious  reunion,  but  enlarged  his 
love  for  all  who  profess  and  call  themselves  Christians.  His  char- 
ity could  not  be  bounded  by  the  confines  of  ixx\y  sect.  He  believed 
more  fully  in  the  invisible  than  in  the  visible  Church.  He  loved 
all  the  brethren  and  labored  for  all  men. 

His  power  and  influence  as  a  theological  teacher  were  also  in- 


THOMAS  HARVEY  SKINNER.  259 

creased  by  his  keen  sense  of  the  in^ior  and  dignity  of  his  own  pro- 
fession. In  this  he  was  not  humble,  for  he  spake  from  a  high  call- 
ing. Necessity  was  laid  upon  him.  No  student  could  doubt  that 
he  really  felt,  Woe  is  unto  me  and  to  you,  if  we  do  not  preach  the 
Gospel,  for  eternity  is  here  at  stake.  No  one  could  doubt  that  he 
trul}'  believed  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  to  be  the  highest  and  the 
most  serviceable  office  which  man  can  fill,  that  of  an  ambassador 
for  Christ,  at  the  service  of  all  men  for  their  spiritual  welfare. 

His  personal  power  was  also  enhanced,  year  b}'  year,  with  the 
increase  of  his  spiritual  life ;  while  the  outward  man  was  perishing, 
the  inward  man  was  renewed  day  b}'  day.  lie  became  more  and 
more  a  living  epistle,  a  gospel  of  God's  grace,  known  and  read  of 
all  men.  Vexed  and  perplexing  questions  were  merged  in  a  higher 
life.  Revealed  facts  took  tlie  place  of  the  doctors  of  the  schools, 
and  with  advantage. 

Thus  he  lived  and  grew  day  by  day,  in  his  serene  and  hallowed 
old  age,  towards  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  a  perfect  man  in 
Christ  Jesus.  Was  he,  then,  a  saint  on  earth?  He  was  called  to 
be  a  saint,  and  he  was  always  fulfilling  his  calling,  not  counting  him- 
self to  have  attained,  but  ever  pressing  onward.  Upon  the  whole, 
I  think  he  was  as  saint-like  a  man  as  any  of  us  have  ever  seen. 

So  he  lived  on,  with  his  wiry  and  flexible  frame,  mind  and  body 
active  to  the  last.  Every  succeeding  winter  we  have  thought 
might  be  too  much  for  him.  But  he  bore  up  bravely  till  he 
touched  the  verge  of  fourscore  years.  The  shadows  of  his  life 
lengthened,  but  he  saw  not  the  shadows,  for  his  face  was  turned  to 
the  light.  Ten  days  ago  I  met  him  at  the  Seminary  for  the  last 
time,  and  his  grasp  was  as  firm  and  his  look  as  warm  as  ever, 
though  even  then  he  said,  "  I  cannot  long  be  with  3'ou."  He 
went  out  into  the  piercing  cold,  its  rigor  seized  upon  him  ;  its  fatal 
grasp  could  not  be  loosened.  His  time  had  come ;  his  Master 
called,  and  he  was  always  ready.  Of  death  he  had  no  fear, 
though  he  sometimes  said  that  he  shrank  from  dying.  But  at  last 
even  this  natural  fear  passed  away,  and  he  could  say  with  a  full 
heart : 

"  Welcome  the  hour  of  full  discharge, 
Which  sets  my  longing  soul  at  large, 
Unbinds  ray  chains,  breaks  up  my  cell. 
And  gives  me  with  ray  God  to  dwell."  ^ 

1  Henry  Boynton  Smith,  his  Life  and  Work,  pp.  452-460. 


260  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Henry  Boynton  Smith,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  was  born  at  Portland, 
Me.,  on  November  21,  1815.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered 
Bowdoin  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1834.  His  theologi- 
cal studies  were  pursued  at  Bangor  and  Andover,  and,  later, 
at  the  Universities  of  Halle  and  Berlin.  While  in  Germany 
he  devoted  himself  with  enthusiasm  to  philosophy  and  church 
history,  as  well  as  to  divinity.  At  Halle  his  relations  with 
Tholuck  and  Ulrici  were  especially  intimate  ;  they  loved  and 
treated  him  as  a  younger  brother.  In  Berlin  he  was  often 
a  welcome  guest  at  the  house  of  Neander.  His  teachers, 
indeed,  seemed  to  regard  him  less  as  their  pupil  than  as  their 
friend  and  equal.  With  some  of  the  younger  theologians  — 
Kahnis  and  Godet,  for  example  —  he  formed  ties  of  friend- 
ship, which  remained  fresh  to  the  day  of  his  death.  After 
his  return  to  the  United  States,  he  served  for  a  year  as  an 
instructor  in  Bowdoin  College.  In  1842  he  was  ordained 
as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  West  Amesbury, 
Mass.  In  this  little  village  he  spent  five  pleasant  years, 
winning  more  and  more  the  love  of  his  people,  and  here 
began  his  happy  domestic  life.  From  1845  to  1847  he  also 
gave  instruction  in  Hebrew  at  Andover.  In  1847  he  be- 
came Professor  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  in  Amherst 
College.  His  work  here,  though  short,  was  full  of  good  and 
lasting  fruit. 

In  1850  he  received  a  unanimous  call  to  the  chair  of  Church 
History  in  the  Union  Theological  Seminary.  After  long  delib- 
eration and  not  without  a  severe  struggle  of  mind  he  accepted 
the  appointment.  He  entered  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  be- 
come one  of  its  most  honored  teachers  and  leaders ;  but  his 
filial  affection  for  New  England  continued  strong  to  the  last. 
It  was,  however,  a  period  of  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  theological 
change,  transition,  conflict,  and  readjustment ;  suspicion  and 
jealousy  were  in  the  air,  and  loyalty  to  new  was  sometimes 
mistaken  for  disloyalty  to  old  relations.  Dr.  Smith  did  not 
escape  the  trial  —  and  a  very  sharp  trial  it  was  —  of  being 


HENRY  BOYNTON  SMITH.  261 

sometimes  represented  as  unfaithful  to  New  England.  He 
was  the  more  tried,  because  a  number  of  his  most  intimate 
friends  were  charged  with  the  same  offence.  He  defended 
both  his  friends  and  himself  in  a  series  of  articles  in  The 
Neiu  York  Evangelist,  and  there  the  matter  ended.  This  was 
the  only  painful  incident  of  his  experience  in  passing  from 
a  Congregational  to  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

In  1854  he  was  transferred  from  the  chair  of  Church  His- 
tory to  that  of  Systematic  Tlieology.  Four  years  later  he 
revisited  Europe.  The  war  for  the  Union  stirred  him  to  the 
depths  of  his  being,  and  called  forth  in  its  defence  some  of  the 
most  powerful  articles  he  ever  wrote.  He  was  deeply  exer- 
cised also  on  the  subject  of  the  reunion  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  by  the  sermon  entitled  Christian  Union  and 
Ecclesiastical  Reunion,  preached  by  him  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  in 
1864,  as  retiring  moderator  of  the  General  Assembly,  struck 
the  key-note  of  that  great  movement.  In  1866  he  made  a 
third  visit  to  the  Old  World,  going  in  the  interest  of  the 
Evangelical  Alliance.  Toward  the  close  of  1868  his  health 
became  so  much  impaired  that  he  had  to  abandon  all  work 
and  flee  for  his  life.  Early  in  1869  he  went  abroad  with  his 
family,  and  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  Germany,  in  Italy,  and 
in  the  lands  of  the  Bible.  Returning  in  1870,  better,  yet  not 
well,  he  resumed  his  work  in  the  Seminary.  But  toward  the 
close  of  1873  he  was  prostrated  by  a  new  attack  of  disease,  and 
on  the  13th  of  Januaiy,  1874,  lie  resigned  his  chair.  He  was 
at  once  made  Professor  Emeritus,  and  afterwards  Lecturer 
on  Apologetics.  During  the  next  tliree  years  he  carried  on 
the  struggle  for  life  with  extraordinary  resolution.  In  the 
autumn  of  1876  his  strength  had  so  rallied  that  the  Board  of 
Directors  appointed  him  to  deliver  the  Ely  Lectures  on  the 
Evidences  of  Christianity.  He  was  in  the  midst  of  his  prepa- 
ration for  a  course  on  Evolution  when  death  overtook  him. 
He  entered  into  rest  on  Wednesday  morning,  February  7, 1877, 
in  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age.     "  His  last  public  utterance 


262  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

was  in  the  prayer  meeting  at  the  Church  of  the  Covenant,  on 
the  evening  of  November  1st,  1876.  The  subject  for  the  even- 
ing was  one  of  the  Pilgrim  Psalms,  the  122d :  '  Jerusalem 
is  builded  as  a  city  that  is  compact  together.  Pray  for  the 
peace  of  Jerusalem.'  He  rose,  and  taking  up  the  thought  of 
what  Jerusalem  had  been  to  the  Church  of  all  ages  since  its 
foundation,  he  dwelt  upon  the  love  and  longing  which  had 
gone  out  to  it  from  the  hearts  of  the  pilgrims  in  its  palmy 
days,  from  beneath  the  willows  of  Babylon,  from  prince  and 
devotee  and  Crusader,  touching  here  and  there  upon  salient 
points  in  its  history,  until,  with  the  warmer  glow  of  emotion 
stealing  into  his  tremulous  voice,  he  led  our  thoughts  to  the 
Jerusalem  above,  —  the  Christian  pilgrim's  goal,  and  the  rest 
and  perfect  joy  of  the  weary.  The  talk  was  like  the  gem  in 
Thalaba's  mystic  ring,  —  a  cut  crystal  full  of  fire.  Perhaps 
something  of  his  own  weariness  and  struggle  crept  uncon- 
sciously into  his  words,  and  gave  them  their  peculiar  depth 
and  tenderness."  ^ 

Professor  Smith's  funeral  took  place  in  the  Church  of  the 
Covenant  on  the  afternoon  of  February  9th.  The  assembly 
was  such  as  is  seldom  seen  in  this  country,  representing  what 
was  highest  and  best  in  American  scholarship.  In  a  letter 
to  me,  dated  February  10,  the  late  Henry  W.  Bellows,  D.  D., 
the  distinguished  Unitarian  minister,  thus  refers  to  "  the 
great  and  glorious  scholar  "  by  whose  bier  he  had  just  been 
standing :  — 

The  depth  and  breadth  of  Professor  Smith's  theology  and  piety, 
the  unaffected  charity  of  his  sympathies,  his  modesty  under  the 
crown  of  learning  and  philosophy  which  he  so  manifestly  wore,  his 
entire  freedom  from  low  ambition  of  place  or  name,  his  gajety  of 
heart  in  weary  invalidism,  and  the  vigor  of  his  soul  so  set  off  by 
the  frailty  of  his  body,  —  all  these  rare  and  precious  characteristics 
I  with  thousands  of  others  who  have  a  nearer  right  to  avow  them 
shall  ever  cherish  and  lament  to  lose.  How  it  belittles  our  sense 
of  human  recognition  and  estimation  to  think  how  feebly  the  gen- 
1  Dr.  Marvin  K.  Vincent. 


HENRY  BOYNTON  SMITH.  263 

eral  public  knows  what  a  treasure  has  dropped  from  the  world,  and 
how  poor  it  leaves  the  church  and  the  scholarship  of  America ! 
Excuse  nij-  seeking  this  means  of  relieving  my  own  sorrow,  and 
of  making  you  the  receiver  of  this  feeble  testimony  to  the  worth 
and  dignity  of  the  honored  saint  we  have  just  buried.^ 

In  a  letter  to  Professor  Briggs  of  the  Union  Seminary,  Dr. 
Dorner  of  Berlin  thus  referred  to  Dr.  Smith  :  — 

Sehr  schmertzlich  hat  mich  der  Tod  von  Henry  13.  Smitli  beriihrt. 
Ich  habe  ihn  als  einen  der  ersten,  wenn  nicht  als  ersten  Ameri- 
kanischen  Tlieologen  der  Gegenwart  angesehen  ;  festgegriindet  in 
christlichen  Glauben,  frei  und  weiten  Herzens  und  Blickes,  philo- 
sophischen  Geistes  und  fiir  systematische  Theologie  ungewohnlich 
begabt. 

Here  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  of  Professor  Godet,  of 
Neuchatel,  to  Mrs.  Smitli :  — 

La  premiere  fois  que  nous  nous  sommes  rencontres,  c'ctait  a, 
Berlin,  chez  notre  pere  spirituel,  I'excellent  Neander.  J'ai  appris 
alors  a  connaitre  en  lui  I'un  des  jeunes  Chretiens  les  plus  aimables, 
I'un  des  gentlemen  les  plus  Chretiens  que  j'ai  jamais  rencontres. 
Plus  tard  j'ai  eu  la  joie  de  revoir  M.  Smith  en  Suisse.  Devenus  pro- 
fesseurs  I'un  et  I'autre,  nous  causames  naturellement  de  theologie, 
et  j'appris  alors  a  connaitre  I'un  des  esprits  les  plus  profonds,  les 
plus  judicieux  et  les  plus  perspicieux  que  j'ai  jamais  rencontres.  II 
dominait  chaque  sujet  et  me  dominait  en  en  parlant.  En  appre- 
nant  la  mort  de  cet  homme  eminent,  j'ai  eu  le  sentiment  bien  pro- 
fond  :  Voila  un  citoyen  rentre  dans  sa  patrie ! 

I  will  add  one  other  tribute,  that  of  Dr.  Francis  L.  Patton, 
now  President  of  Princeton  College,  in  his  address  at  the 
dedication  of  the  new  buildings  of  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  December  9,  1884  ;  — 

Speaking  of  the  Reunion,  however,  reminds  me  that  some  time 
ago  I  printed  a  sentence  which  has  been  quoted  several  times  since 

1  Professor  Smitli  was  warmly  attached  to  Dr.  Bellows.  As  the  steamer 
was  on  the  point  of  sailing,  in  1869,  he  handed  me  his  card  with  a  few  farewell 
words  written  upon  it  in  pencil,  saying,  "  If  I  never  come  back,  give  this  to 
Dr.  Bellows."  After  his  death  I  sent  it  to  Dr.  Bellows,  who  was  deeply  touched 
by  the  incident. 


264  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

for  no  other  reason,  I  am  sure,  than  its  transparent  truthfulness. 
I  said  that  '^Henr^'  B.  Smith  was  the  hero  of  Reunion."  So  he 
was ;  and  if  this  were  his  onl}-  glor^-,  this  in  the  minds  of  some 
men  were  glor}'  enough.  But  this  was  not  his  onl}-  glor3'.  The  last 
generation  had  three  Presbyterian  controversialists  in  the  sphere  of 
dogmatic  theolog_y  :  William  Cunningham,  Charles  Hodge,  Henry 
B.  Smith.  Each  supreme  in  his  special  department,  and  Henry  B. 
Smith,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  was  a  monarch  in  the  sphere  of 
historico-philosophieal  discussions  pertaining  to  theology.  I  beg 
Dr.  Hitchcock's  pardon.  I  have  called  Dr.  Smith  a  controversialist. 
Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  have  done  it,  in  view  of  what  we  heard  this 
morning.  I  know  that  the  theology  of  Union  Seminary  is  irenic. 
But  I  could  not  help  thinking,  when  Dr.  Hitchcock  told  us  so  this 
morning,  that  if  Dr.  Smith  was  irenic  when  he  wrote  his  review  of 
Draper,  and  his  criticism  of  Mill,  and  his  refutation  of  Whedon,  I 
would  have  given  anything  to  see  him  when  he  was  roused. 

I  wish  that  my  friend  Dr.  Hodge  were  in  my  place,  for  I  should 
like  you  to  know  what  a  representative  dogmatician  thinks  of  Dr. 
Smith's  systematic  theology.  I  will  not  attempt  to  give  his  esti- 
mate of  that  work,  but  I  am  telling  no  secret  when  I  sa}'  that  the 
students  of  Princeton  Seminary  are  in  the  habit  of  reading  this 
volume  in  connection  with  Dr.  Charles  Hodge's  S3'stematic  The- 
ology, and  that  they  do  it  under  the  advice  of  their  Professor.  I 
may  be  allowed  to  say  a  word  in  regard  to  the  recently  pub- 
lished volume  of  Apologetics,  as  it  falls  within  m}-  own  depart- 
ment. It  is  a  fragment,  they  say ;  in  one  sense  a  fragment,  and 
yet  in  another  not.  The  foundations  of  the  building  are  not  the 
building ;  and  we  have  here  the  foundations  of  a  cathedral  the  like 
of  which  does  not  exist.  The  plans  and  specifications  of  the  ar- 
chitect are  not  the  building,  yet  they  have  a  completeness  of  their 
own  ;  and  in  this  volume  we  have  the  defences  of  Christianity 
sketched  by  a  great  architectural  genius  with  a  comprehensiveness 
which,  I  think  I  may  soberly  say,  cannot  be  duplicated  by  anything 
in  the  literature  of  Apologetics. 

Professor  Smith  was  an  indefatigable  worker  both  in  and 
outside  of  the  theological  chair.  While  at  West  Araesbury 
he  did  much  in  the  way  of  translations  from  the  German  for 
the  Bihliotheca  Sacra.  In  1859  he  founded  The  American 
Theological  Review,  which  in  1863  became  united  with  The 


HENRY  BOYNTON  SMITH.  265 

Preshyterian  Revieto  under  the  '"itlc  of  The  American  Pres- 
byterian and  Tlieological  Review.  This  again,  in  1871,  was 
united  with  The  Princeton  Repertory,  under  the  name  of 
The  Presbyterian  Quarterly  and  Princeton  Revieiv.  A  good 
deal  of  his  best  literary  work  consisted  of  articles  in  these 
Reviews,  and  of  occasional  addresses.  The  volume  entitled 
Faith  and  Philosophy  (1877)  is  composed  chiefly  of  such 
articles  and  addresses.  Among  them  are  The  Relations  of 
Faith  and  Philosophy  (1849)  ;  Ohurch  History  as  a  Science 
(1851)  ;  The  Idea  of  Christian  Theology  as  a  System  (1854)  ; 
and  The  Reformed  Churches  of  Europe  and  America  (1855). 

In  1859  he  published  a  History  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in 
Chronological  Tables  (folio).  He  also  edited  a  revised  trans- 
lation of  Gieseler's  Church  History  (4  vols.,  1859),  and  of 
Hagenbach's  History  of  Christian  Doctrine.  After  his  death 
appeared  Lectures  on  Apologetics  (1882)  ;  Introduction  to 
Christian  Theology  (1883)  ;  and  System  of  Christian  Theology 
(1884)  ;  all  edited  with  great  care  and  ability  by  one  of  his 
old  pupils,  the  late  William  S.  Karr,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  The- 
ology in  Hartford  Theological  Seminary, 

Of  Professor  Smith's  personal  and  social  qualities,  his 
manly  simplicity,  his  unpretending  modest  ways,  his  genial 
sympathies,  his  quiet  mirth,  his  quaint  humor,  his  love  of 
books  and  all  good  fellowship,  his  catholic  spirit,  his  high- 
toned  sense  of  truth  and  justice,  his  patriotic  zeal,  his  kindly 
interest  in  young  men  and  readiness  to  serve  them,  his  devo- 
tion as  a  friend,  his  sweet  domestic  affections,  —  of  all  these 
there  is  no  room  to  speak  here.  But  the  memory  of  them, 
and  of  that  library,  with  which  some  of  tlicm  are  indissoliibly 
associated,  how  very  pleasant  it  is  !  "  Who  can  forget  that 
room,  walled  and  double-walled  with  books,  the  baize-covered 
desk  in  the  corner  by  the  window,  loaded  with  the  fresh  philo- 
sophic and  theologic  treasures  of  the  European  press,  and  the 
little  figure  in  the  long  gray  wrapper  seated  there,  —  the 
figure  so  frail  and  slight  that,  as  one  of  his  friends  remarked, 


266  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

it  seemed  as  though  it  would  not  be  much  of  a  change  for  him 
to  take  on  a  spiritual  body,  —  the  beautifully  moulded  brow, 
crowned  with  its  thick,  wavy,  sharply  parted,  iron-gray  hair, 
the  strong  aquiline  profile,  the  restless  shifting  in  his  chair, 
the  nervous  pulling  of  the  hand  at  the  moustache,  as  the 
stream  of  talk  widened  and  deepened,  the  occasional  start 
from  his  seat  to  pull  down  a  book  or  to  search  for  a  pam- 
phlet,—  how  inseparably  these  memories  twine  themselves 
with  those  of  high  debate,  and  golden  speech,  and  converse  on 
themes  of  Christian  philosophy  and  Christian  experience  !  "  ^ 
In  1881,  Henry  Boynton  Smith,  his  Life  and  Work,  edited 
by  his  wife,  was  published  by  A.  C.  Armstrong  and  Son.  It  is 
a  most  worthy  and  beautiful  tribute  to  his  memory. 

William  Adams,  D.D.,LL.D.,  was  born  at  Colchester,  Conn., 
January  25,  1807.  His  early  studies  were  pursued  at  Phillips 
Academy,  Andover,  of  which  his  father,  John  Adams,  LL.  D., 
was  the  principal.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  the  class 
of  1827,  and  at  Andover  Theological  Seminary  in  1830.  His 
first  pastorate  was  over  the  Congregational  Society  in  Brigh- 
ton, Mass.  In  1834  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Broome  Street 
(later  the  Central)  Presbyterian  Church  in  New  York.  In  this 
important  field  he  labored  with  great  success  until  1853,  when 
the  Madison  Square  Presbyterian  Church,  so  closely  associ- 
ated with  his  name,  was  formed.  Here  he  labored  for  twenty 
years ;  and  they  were  years  crowded  with  spiritual  prosperity 
and  usefulness.  Both  as  a  preacher  and  pastor  his  influence 
was  powerful,  far-reaching,  and  full  of  blessing.  No  Presby- 
terian minister  in  the  country  stood  higher  in  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  own  denomination,  or  of  the  Christian  pub- 
lic. In  1852  he  was  chosen  moderator  of  the  New  School 
General  Assembly,  and  some  years  later  took  a  leading  part 
in  the  discussion  and  negotiations  which  issued  in  the  re- 
union of  the  Presbyterian  Church.     In  1873  he  accepted  the 

1  Dr.  Marvin  R.  Vincent. 


WILLIAiM  ADAMS.  267 

appointment  of  President  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
and  Professor  of  Sacred  Rhetoric.  He  died  at  his  summer 
home,  Orange  Mountain,  N.  J.,  August  31,  1880.  Dr.  Adams 
was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  religious  press.  He  was 
also  the  author  of  the  following  volumes :  2^he  Three  Gar- 
de7is ;  Eden;  Gethsemane  and  Paradise, or  Man's  Ruin;  Re- 
demption ;  and  Restoration  (1856);  Thanksgiving ;  Memories 
of  the  Day  and  Helps  to  the  Habit  (1865) ;  Li  the  World  and 
not  of  the  World  (1867);  Conversations  of  Jesus  Christ  with 
Representative  Men  (1868).  The  second  work  mentioned  is, 
perhaps,  the  most  characteristic,  as  well  as  the  most  striking 
and  attractive,  of  his  books.  He  had  marvellous  skill  in  pic- 
turing and  reproducing  the  family  gathering,  with  the  joyous 
domestic  scenes  and  sweet  grateful  memories  that  rendered 
the  old  Thanksgiving  festival  such  a  red-letter  day  to  the  chil- 
dren of  New  England. 

Dr.  Adams  was  among  the  foremost  preachers  of  his  time. 
His  printed  sermons  show  his  vivid  apprehension  of  the  sav- 
ing truths  of  the  Gospel,  his  evangelical  fervor,  his  pastoral 
tenderness  and  wisdom,  his  power  as  an  expounder  of  the  in- 
spired oracles,  his  devout  spirit,  and  his  whole-hearted  zeal  for 
the  cause  and  kingdom  of  Christ ;  and  yet  there  was  an  influ- 
ence and  a  charm  about  the  man  himself,  which  his  printed 
sermons  only  partially  reflect.  He  was  very  gifted  in  saying 
the  right  word  on  special  occasions.  His  address  of  welcome 
at  the  opening  meeting  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  on  Octo- 
ber 2, 1873,  may  serve  as  an  instance.  He  knew  how  to  speak 
comfortably  to  the  bereaved  and  sorrowing,  to  speak  a  word 
in  season  to  him  that  was  weary,  and  to  melt  all  hearts  by 
the  scriptural  warmth,  aptness,  and  pathos  of  his  utterance. 
His  platform  addresses  were  sometimes  marvels  of  felicitous 
thought  and  illustration.  I  have  heard  few  men  who  seemed 
to  me  to  equal  him  in  this  respect.  In  the  spring  of  1864  I 
accompanied  him  on  a  visit  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  just 
before  its  march  into  the  Wilderness.     On  our  way  from 


268  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Washington  to  the  front,  we  found  ourselves  in  the  same  car 
with  General  Grant,  who  invited  us  to  attend  the  review  of 
General  Hancock's  Corps  on  the  following  day.  We  did  so, 
and  remained  with  the  army  over  the  Sabbath,  Dr.  Adams 
preaching  at  head-quarters.  Not  long  after  our  return  home 
he  spoke  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Tract  Soci- 
ety, May  11,  1864,  on  the  resolution,  "That  the  salvation  of 
our  soldiery  demands,  and  the  blessing  of  God  upon  past  effort 
justifies,  increased  faith  and  zeal  and  labors  for  the  Army  and 
Navy  of  the  United  States."  His  address  is  so  characteristic, 
so  interesting,  and  at  the  same  time  recalls  so  vividly  one  of 
the  most  anxious  and  eventful  periods  in  the  whole  history  of 
the  war  for  the  Union,  that  I  cannot  help  giving  it  almost 
entire :  — 

I  feel  that  there  is  but  one  object  now  in  all  our  thoughts,  the 
army  of  the  country, — our  own  fellow  citizens,  our  own  brothers, 
our  own  children,  who  are  toiling,  fasting,  fighting,  bleeding,  dy- 
ing, for  our  sakes.  In  fact,  such  is  the  crisis  that  we  have  reached, 
and  the  amount  of  suffering,  suspense,  and  agony  with  which  our 
hearts  are  wrung,  that  all  ordinary  topics  and  forms  of  discourse 
seem  stale  and  insipid.  And  it  would  better  suit  my  own  feelings 
if,  instead  of  talking  one  to  another,  we  should  pour  out  our  swollen 
emotions  before  our  common  Father,  as  best  in  accordance  with  the 
solemn  sympathies  of  this  hour. 

I  suppose  that  I  have  some  peculiar  emotions  in  regard  to  the 
reports  that  come  to  us,  meagre  as  yet,  but  enough  to  excite  our 
utmost  sohcitude  in  the  midst  of  all  our  hopes,  because  I  have  re- 
cently had  my  eye  upon  that  magnificent  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and  have  mingled  with  its  oflacers  and  men.  Their  faces  are  very 
distinct  now  to  my  eye,  and  my  hand  has  not  yet  lost  the  warm 
pressure  from  the  gallant  Sedgwick  and  Wadsworth,  which  they 
gave  me  when,  in  the  name  of  the  Christian  ministry  and  all  these 
Christian  churches,  I  invoked  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God  upon 
tliem  and  their  cause. 

It  is  but  a  few  days  ago,  just  when  they  were  striking  tents  and 
ready  for  marching,  that  I  was  at  the  front ;  and  the  Lieutenant- 
General  of  the  army  courteously  provided  me  with  the  means  of 
seeing  the  major  part  of  the  army  pass  in  review  before  me,  with 


WILLIAM  ADAMS.  269 

its  magnificent  cortege  of  officers.  T  have  seen  some  great  masses 
of  troops  in  the  Old  World.  I  remember  one  holiday  review,  three 
or  four  3'ears  ago,  of  thirty  thousand  ritlemen  in  Hyde  Park,  Lon- 
don. But  that  was  all  show  ;  this  was  solemn  work.  Not  a  word 
was  said  as  that  splendid  body  of  men  ])assed  by  their  com- 
mander, regiment  after  regiment,  brigade  after  brigade,  division 
after  division,  hour  after  hour,  —  men  seasoned  for  their  work, 
whose  physique  was  most  imposing,  and  who  had  all  the  actual  ap- 
purtenances and  equipments  of  war.  And  the  feeling  lay  solemnly 
upon  the  heart  that  they  were  upon  the  eve  of  an  eventful  crisis, 
when  many  of  them  who  were  in  the  pride  of  life  and  health 
would  sleep  on  the  earth  that  was  waiting  to  be  saturated  with 
their  blood. 

I  preached  at  head-quarters  just  two  Sabbaths  ago,  the  ver}'  last 
service  that  was  held  there.     Just  conceive  of  an  audience  com- 
posed entirely  of  one  class,  — not  an  old  man,  not  a  civilian,  not  a 
woman,  not  a  child,  but  armed  men  ;  the  commander  in  chief  with 
all  his  staff,  the  officers  of  the  army,  and  the  great  compan}-  of 
soldiers  ;  and  this  just  on  the  eve  of  a  great  movement !    I  am  told 
that  that  was  the  last  sermon  preached  there ;  the  tent  was  struck 
shortly-  after,  and  preparations  were  made  for  the  march.     You 
can  imagine  what  would  be  the  emotions  of  a  Christian  minister  in 
such  a  presence  as  that,  and  what  he  would  chiefly  speak  of.     I 
did  not  forget  to  say  to  them  that  they  wei-e  remembered  at  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  that  there  never  was  a  gathering  in  our  Chris- 
tian churches  where  they  were  not  commended  to  God  in  prayer ; 
and  that  they  might  be  sure  that  man}'  a  gentle  hand,  unequal  to 
the  wielding  of  any  other  weapon  than  the  sword  of  the  spirit,  in 
the  closet  would  be  wielding  it  for  their  defence  and  their  blessing. 
I  told  them  in  the  plainest  terms  the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel, 
what  pertained  to  their  personal  salvation  ;  and  feeling  that  appro- 
priateness was  the  first  law  of  discourse,  I  told  them  of  the  dan- 
gers to  which  they  were  going,  and  what  was  their  onlj-  protection. 
How,  if  the}'  would  adopt  the  habit  of  ejaculatory  prayer,  whether 
at  the  head  of  a  column,  running  across  the  field  in  the  discharge 
of  some  commission,  or  in  the  ranks  exposed  to  the  deadly  hail, 
there  was  a  way  in  which  they  could  prav ;  that  the  channel  of 
communication  was  opened  between  their  hearts  and  God,  and  that 
death  could  not  overtake  them  so  quick  but  that  the}'  could  lift 
their  hearts  to  that  Saviour  who  had  brought  them  what  was  better 


270  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

than  valor,  better  than  life  itself,  —  His  own  blessing  and  salvation. 
I  shall  never  forget  the  scene,  the  feeling  that  there  was  but  a  step 
between  many  of  them  and  death.  O  what  suspense  there  is  in 
all  our  hearts  with  regard  to  personal  friends,  knowing  not  what 
shall  be  reported  to  us  when  the  veil  shall  lift !  When  called  to 
pronounce  the  blessing  upon  them,  I  could  hardl}'  master  my  own 
powers  of  articulation  in  an  hour  of  such  solemnit}'. 

And  now  in  regard  to  the  army,  where  this  society,  it  seems,  has 
been  ver}'  active  in  all  its  various  agencies  during  the  past  season. 
Very  few  persons  know  what  an  army  really  is,  and  I  confess  that 
I  had  no  conception  of  one  m^'self.  We  have  been  accustomed  to 
think  that  it  was  some  compact  body  of  men,  that  could  be 
brought  together  in  an  hour  or  two,  as  we  see  at  a  parade  or 
review  in  our  own  city.  I  speak  of  one  army,  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  This  hall  will  hold,  I  suppose,  not  more  than  a  thou- 
sand people,  if  as  many,  seated  ;  but  what  would  j'ou  think  of  a 
hundred  such  congregations  ! 

I  know  that  that  Army  of  the  Potomac,  which  we  thought  of  as 
such  a  compact  bod}',  to  be  trundled  hither  and  thither,  as  civilians 
would  have  it,  at  the  word  of  command,  —  and  nothing  is  more 
absurd  than  the  criticisms  and  suggestions  which  are  frequently 
made  b}^  civilians  in  regard  to  this  whole  subject,  —  this  army  when 
I  saw  it  covered  a  space  of  one  hundred  square  miles !  Instead  of 
being  compact,  it  was  a  congeries  of  villages  of  tents  all  over  the 
country  ;  and  if  you  jumped  upon  the  railroad  for  sixty  or  sevent}^ 
miles,  3'ou  had  it  upon  your  right  hand  and  upon  your  left  all  the 
while.  In  reply  to  my  question,  as  to  how  long  it  would  take  in 
case  of  an  assault  to  bring  that  army  together  compactly,  I  was 
surprised  to  hear  the  response  of  the  Lieutenant-General,  that  it 
would  take  twenty-four  hours.  What  a  field  is  this  for  Christian 
effort ! 

Now  as  to  its  peculiar  constitution.  It  is  composed  of  the  very 
flower  of  the  country,  men  of  one  class,  in  the  full  vigor  of  life  ; 
and  now  I  speak  of  it  before  that  army  was  in  motion,  for  then  the 
agencies  of  this  society  were  moved  with  the  greatest  activity  for 
its  spiritual  advantage.  How  can  I  depict  the  scene  to  you  ?  Sup- 
pose we  go  over  to  the  extreme  right,  to  the  head-quarters  of  the 
gallant  Sedgwick  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  and  see  the  series  of  six 
villages  of  tents.  There  is  a  regiment  I  single  out  in  my  mind. 
Do  you  wish  to  know  how  they  live  ?     They  have  made  for  them- 


WILLIAM  ADAMS.  271 

selves  cabins  out  of  mud  and  logs  of  wood,  lined  with  canvas,  and 
they  are  very  comfortable,  with  a  fire-place  in  them.  These  cabins 
are  laid  out  in  streets,  a  street  for  the  oflicers  and  a  street  for  each 
company ;  and  they  aim  to  keep  them  perfectly  neat.  When  the 
soldiers  are  in  this  condition,  —  not  in  motion,  not  drilhng,  but 
waiting,  —  can  you  conceive  of  circumstances  better  adapted  for 
religious  instruction  ?  I  think  not.  They  are  away  from  home ; 
they  have  a  great  deal  of  leisure,  the  hours  of  the  day  are  all  dis- 
tributed with  strict  regularity  ;  and  there  are  very  many  hours  when 
they  have  entire  leisure,  and  then  is  the  time  when  they  can  be 
approached  with  the  greatest  effect. 

I  remember  seeing  the  mail  come  in  to  that  particular  regiment, 
and  shortly  after  the  newsboy  on  his  mule,  laden  down  with  all 
sorts  of  publications.  With  what  rapidity  they  were  bought  up ! 
But  oh  !  could  you  see  the  eagerness  with  which  these  letters  were 
taken  and  read  !  I  thought  that  one  of  the  best  things  we  could  do 
was  to  write  to  the  soldiers  as  often  as  possible,  and  to  send  them 
cheerful  and  interesting  publications. 

I  enter  one  of  these  tents,  which  gives  an  idea  of  all  the  others. 
There  are  seats  across.  On  the  canvas  ai-e  pasted  the  publications 
which  have  been  received  and  read.  There  you  will  find  the  Amer- 
ican Messenger  pasted  up  where  it  is  easy  to  be  read.  I  remember 
sleeping  one  night  in  a  soldier's  tent,  where  I  counted  twelve  copies 
of  a  certain  number  of  Harper's  Weekly,  which  contained  a  very 
beautiful  and  impressive  picture  of  "The  Soldier's  Return  to  his 
Home,"  with  the  father,  mother,  wife,  and  children  coming  forth  to 
greet  him.  These  pictures  indicate  what  one  feeling  is  uppermost 
in  the  soldier's  heart ;  and  I  then  saw  that  a  good  picture  is  a 
good  sermon,  though  I  never  thought  so  much  of  it  before. 

I  have  always  felt  that  the  arts  minister  very  much  to  morals  and 
religion,  when  they  leave  a  picture  upon  the  imagination.  The 
New  Testament  is  full  of  word  pictures ;  and  blessed  be  the  art 
that  can  put  them  upon  canvas  and  present  them  to  the  human  ej'e. 
Those  pictures  given  in  our  publications  are  not  so  much  waste 
paper.  They  are  impressive  sermons,  and  they  have  spoken  com- 
fort and  given  spiritual  instruction,  I  have  no  doubt,  to  many  of 
those  who  occupy  the  tent  of  the  soldier.  And  as  to  the  agencies 
employed,  the}^  are  very  man}-  and  very  successful.  I  speak  par- 
ticularly in  regard  to  the  chaplains  of  the  army.  There  can  be  no 
question  that,  in  the  first  instance,  there  were  a  class  of  men,  unde- 


272  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

serving  of  the  position,  who  went  for  the  name  and  for  emolument ; 
but  these,  I  believe,  have  been  weeded  out ;  and  never  have  I  seen 
a  more  deA'^oted,  earnest,  and  successful  band  of  Christian  minis- 
ters than  the  chaplains  with  whom  I  came  in  contact  in  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac. 

In  most  of  the  encampments  "the  boj's"  have  built  a  little 
chapel.  I  wish  I  could  daguerreotN-pe  the  scene  that  was  before  me 
the  first  night  I  reached  that  camp  where  I  preached.  The  drum 
and  bugle  gave  notice.  The  chapel  was  built  of  logs,  the  inter- 
stices filled  with  mud,  but  all  clean  and  nice.  In  the  corner  was  a 
large  fire  of  sweet-spruce  boughs,  and  slabs  had  been  prepared  for 
seats.  It  was  very  easy  to  preach  to  such  an  audience  as  that,  their 
faces  turned  up  to  you  and  their  ears  drinking  in  the  words  of 
truth  and  soberness.  I  preached  twice  ;  but  it  was  the  Spirit  of 
God  preached  through  us  and  by  us  ;  and  evidences  clear  as  day 
there  were  of  His  power  upon  those  consciences.  These  men  were 
ready  and  anxious  for  services  ;  they  came  around  you  and  talked 
with  you  about  religion ;  not  merely  about  home,  but  about  the 
wa}'  to  be  saved.  One  chaplain  says,  Let  me  introduce  you  to 
this  man,  and  that  man,  —  Captain  this,  and  Captain  that,  — who 
then  told  me  the  circumstances  of  their  conversion.  One  was 
coming  from  the  grave  of  a  companion  in  a  snow-storm,  when  he 
began  to  think,  as  he  never  had  before,  about  the  salvation  of 
his  soul.  There  has  been  in  these  tents  a  great  deal  of  prayer, 
a  great  deal  of  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  a  great  deal  of  serious 
seeking  for  the  truth,  and  a  great  deal  of  serious,  rapid  action  in 
the  way  of  conversion  during  the  past  winter.  And  all  those  dis- 
tinctions that  we  make  so  much  of  in  our  time  of  peace  and  leisure 
are  quite  forgotten. 

I  wish  you  could  see  a  communion  season  there.  I  remem- 
ber the  staff  of  a  general  officer  with  whom  I  was  quartered.  It 
consisted  of  one  representing  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church; 
another  was  a  communicant  of  the  Baptist  body,  and  another  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  another  in  the  Methodist  Church; 
all  forming  one  family,  and  sitting  together  at  the  celebration  of 
the  Lord's  supper. 

These  army  chaplains  have  peculiar  opportunities  for  getting 
access  to  the  minds  of  their  men.  They  are  brave  men.  Some 
of  them  have  been  in  all  the  exposures  of  the  camp.  I  was  in 
immediate   intercourse  with  one  who  has  been  with  his  regiment 


WILLIAM  ADAMS.  273 

since  the  first  Bull  Run  fight.^  lie  has  been  with  the  surgeons, 
unnecessarily  exposing  his  own  person.  I  heard  of  certain  feats 
of  great  gallantr}'  upon  his  part,  which  showed  that  there  is  a 
good  deal  of  affinity  between  pluck  and  faith.  He  had  left  a 
position  of  much  influence  and  usefulness,  and  would  go  with  his 
men  into  almost  any  exposure  in  order  to  get  their  confidence, 
and  to  show  that  his  heart  was  witli  them.  I  have  seen  "the 
boys "  come  into  his  tent,  and  heard  him  talk  with  them  ;  and 
he  told  me  that  before  every  action  these  men  would  come  to  , 
him  and  give  him  their  mone}-  to  take  care  of,  and  they  would 
ask  him  to  write  to  their  friends  a  word  about  the  result,  if  any- 
thing should  happen.  I  know  that  at  one  engagement,  after  it 
was  all  over,  he  pinned  cards  on  to  forty-two  men  of  his  regi- 
ment who  had  fallen,  and  wrote  as  many  letters  to  their  homes, 
to  tell  their  friends  of  the  circumstances  of  their  death.  I  do  not 
•wonder  that  General  Howard,  a  praying  man  himself,  said  on  a 
public  occasion,  in  regard  to  that  regiment,  "  I  would  rather  have  for 
any  service  that  regiment  with  three  hundred  men  and  that  chap- 
lain, than  a  full  regiment  of  eleven  hundred  men  without  him." 

And  I  am  happy  to  say  that  there  are  ver}'  many  pious  officers  in 
the  arm}',  —  men  who  feel  for  the  spiritual  condition  of  their  com- 
mands, are  accustomed  to  pray  for  them  and  with  them,  and  who 
know  also  how  to  preach  to  them  with  great  point  and  efliciency. 
I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  scene  I  witnessed  in  the  tent  of  one  of 
the  chief  officers  of  that  i^.rmy  of  the  Potomac.  When  ten  o'clock 
p.  M.  came,  he  closed  his  tent  and  said,  "  At  this  hour  ni}'  wife  and 
daughters  are  reading  a  certain  portion  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  a  certain  collection  of  hymns  which  we  have  agreed  upon  ; 
and  so  we  will  read  them  together  now."  He  was  a  man  who 
knew  how  to  pray,  and  his  valor  was  such  as  comes  from  faith 
in  God. 

Dr.  Adams  stood  in  very  close  and  affectionate  relations 
with  not  a  few  of  his  most  distinguished  contemporaries  in' 
various  spheres  of  life  ;  such  men  as  Professor  Moses  Stuart  of 
Andover,  Dr.  Schauffler,  the  eminent  missionary,  Dr.  IMuhlen- 
berg,  Albert  Barnes,  Isaac  Taylor,  author  of  The  Natiiral  His- 
tory of  Enthusiasm,  Professor  Morse,  the  famous  inventor, 

1  Referring  to  his  brother,  the  Rev.  Jolin  R.  Adams,  chaplain  of  a  Maine 
regiment. 

18 


274  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Daniel  Webster,  General  Scott,  and  General  George  B.  McClel- 
lan.  The  last  was  for  some  time  a  member  of  the  Madison 
Square  Church,  and  had  the  greatest  love  and  admiration  for 
its  pastor.  Their  summer  homes  for  several  years  adjoined 
each  other  on  Orange  Mountain.  The  beautiful  friendship 
between  them  was  almost  like  that  of  brothers. 

Dr.  Adams's  services  to  the  Union  Theological  Seminary 
were  most  abundant  during  the  last  seven  years  of  his  life ; 
but  they  had  been  many  and  invaluable  during  the  seven  and 
thirty  preceding  years,  in  whicli  he  had  been  one  of  its  Direc- 
tors, one  of  its  ever  watchful  friends,  and  repeatedly  one  of 
its  Professors  Extraordinary. 

RoswELL  DwiGHT  HiTCHCOCK,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  was  born  at 
East  Machias,  Me.,  on  August  15,  1817.  He  graduated  at 
Amherst  College,  Mass.,  in  1836;  in  1838  he  entered  Andover 
Theological  Seminary,  which  he  left  the  next  year  to  accept 
the  appointment  of  tutor  at  Amherst ;  in  1842  he  returned 
to  Andover  as  resident  licentiate,  and  continued  his  studies 
there  until  1844,  preaching  meanwhile  in  Maine  and  Massa- 
chusetts. In  November,  1845,  he  became  pastor  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  in  Exeter,  N.  H.,  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  year  abroad,  spent  chiefly  in  study  at  Halle  and 
Berlin,  labored  there  until  1852,  when  he  was  appointed  Pro- 
fessor of  Natural  and  Revealed  Religion  in  Bowdoin  College, 
Brunswick,  Me.  Three  years  later,  in  1855,  he  accepted  a 
call  to  the  chair  of  Church  History  in  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  where  he  labored  for  thirty-three  years,  during 
the  last  seven  of  which  he  also  filled  the  office  of  President 
of  the  institution.  In  1866,  his  health  having  become  seri- 
ously impaired,  he  went  abroad,  and  visited  Italy  and  Greece. 
In  1869-70  he  visited  Egypt,  Sinai,  and  Palestine;  and  in 
1884  he  went  abroad  once  more,  visiting  Spain,  Norway,  and 
Scotland,  where  he  received  the  Doctorate  of  Divinity  from 
the  University  of  Edinburgh.     On  the  16th  of  June,  1887,  he 


RO SWELL  D WIGHT  HITCHCOCK.  275 

suddenly  passed  away  from  earth,  at  his  country  homo,  near 
Fall  River,  Mass. 

Dr.  Hitchcock  was  a  very  gifted  man.  His  genius  and  tal- 
ents, his  culture,  and  his  power  of  expression,  were  happily 
matched.  He  was  a  brilliant  thinker ;  what  he  knew  he  knew 
thoroughly ;  while  in  clearness,  manly  energy,  point,  and  cu- 
rious felicity  of  utterance,  he  had  few  equals  among  all  his 
contemporaries.  I  hardly  ever  heard  him  speak,  whether  in 
the  pulpit,  from  the  platform,  at  the  meeting  for  religious  con- 
ference, or  in  the  circle  of  his  ministerial  brethren,  without 
being  pleasantly  surprised,  as  well  as  instructed  and  edified. 
He  was  never  confused  or  obscure,  and  always  said  something 
worth  hearing.  Being  an  orator,  he  made  great  use  of  the 
metaphor,  but  his  metaphors  were  so  apt  and  luminous  as  to 
surpass  in  effect  the  closest  logic.  Indeed,  his  rhetoric  often- 
times was  simply  logic  in  a  flame.  Such  mastery  of  beautiful 
and  impressive  speech  does  not  come  of  itself ;  it  is  a  growth 
and  the  fruit  of  earnest  studies.  In  Dr.  Hitchcock's  case  we 
are  able  to  trace  much  of  this  fine  growth  back  to  its  source. 
He  was  early  touched  by  the  new  intellectual  movement  which 
pervaded  New  England  during  the  fourth  and  fifth  decades  of 
this  century.  At  Amherst,  both  as  student  and  tutor,  at  An- 
dover,  and  at  Exeter,  he  felt  its  power,  and  drank  in  its  spirit. 
The  so  called  Transcendentalism  of  the  period,  whether  as  rep- 
resented in  the  writings  of  Emerson  and  his  friends,  or  in  the 
writings  of  Coleridge,  exerted  a  shaping  influence  upon  his 
opinions,  as  also  upon  his  style  of  thought  and  speech.  For  a 
while,  indeed,  it  seemed  to  some  as  if  he  were  drifting  quite 
away  from  the  old  doctrines,  both  in  theology  and  in  literature. 
He  chafed  a  good  deal  under  what  he  regarded  as  the  set,  nar- 
row formulas  of  much  of  the  current  orthodoxy,  while  at  the 
same  time  he  was  far  from  accepting  all  the  new  views. 

At  Andover  he  belonged  to  a  circle  of  young  men  of  marked 
ability  and  independence,  whose  dissatisfaction  with  the  ex- 
isting state  of  things  in  Congregationalism  inclined  some  of 


276  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

them  to  enter  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  others  to  a  radical 
departure  from  the  reigning  schools.  Of  the  former  class 
was  the  late  Dr.  Edward  A.  Washburn,  the  distinguished 
preacher  and  scholar ;  the  latter  class  had  one  of  its  strongest 
representatives  in  Roswell  D.  Hitchcock.  The  freedom  and 
boldness  with  which  he  challenged  old  opinions  and  broached 
new  ones  touching  important  points  of  Christian  belief,  gave 
occasion  to  no  little  suspicion  and  evil  report.  He  was  widely- 
regarded  as  infected  with  "  Transcendental "  errors,  a  serious 
matter  in  those  days.  Nor  can  it  be  denied  that,  after  his 
settlement  at  Exeter  and  his  visit  to  Germany  in  1847-48,  his 
sentiments  and  temper  of  mind  underwent  a  decided  change 
in  the  conservative  direction.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Asa  Cummings, 
one  of  the  most  influential  religious  editors  of  New  England, 
writing  to  a  friend  in  1853,  thus  refers  to  this  point :  "  His 
visit  to  Europe,  and  what  he  saw  there,  had  an  effect  con- 
trary to  what  was  probably  anticipated.  '  As  poison  oft  the 
force  of  poison  quells,'  the  Transcendental  things  he  wit- 
nessed there  seem  to  have  expelled  what  was  abnormal  in 
his  own  views." 

Dr.  Hitchcock's  call  to  the  Union  Theological  Seminary 
was  preceded  by  some  incidents,  which  should  not  be  alto- 
gether ignored  in  this  sketch  of  his  life,  for  they  teach  a  very 
valuable  lesson.  On  the  transfer  of  Dr.  Smith  to  the  depart- 
ment of  Systematic  Theology,  he  was  naturally  solicitous 
about  his  successor  in  the  chair  of  Church  History ;  and 
it  was  by  him  that  Professor  Hitchcock  of  Bowdoin  College 
was  suggested  as  the  right  man  for  the  place.  Inquiries  were 
at  once  set  on  foot  by  the  nominating  committee,  of  which 
Dr.  Adams  was  chairman,  and  with  a  result  so  highly  satis- 
factory that  Professor  Hitchcock's  name  was  unanimously 
presented  to  the  Board.  An  extract  from  a  single  letter  in 
response  to  these  inquiries,  will  be  read  with  interest  in  the 
light  of  the  past  third  of  a  century.  The  letter  is  dated  No- 
vember 9,  1853,  and  was  written  by  an  eminent  scholar  and 


ROSWELL   DWIGIIT  HITCHCOCK.  211 

divine,  President  at  the  time  of  one  of  the  colleges  of  New- 
England  :  — 

After  more  than  a  yeav  of  famiUar  and  pleasant  intercourse  with 
Professor  Hitchcock,  and  many  evenings  of  friendly  theological 
conversation,  I  have  formed  a  very  high  opinion  of  his  personal 
and  social  character,  of  his  intellectual  activity  and  grasp,  and  of 
his  theological  thoroughness.  In  his  dogmatic  discussions  I  have 
always  observed  a  decided  historical  tendency,  —  much  beyond  what 
is  usual  in  these  days.  I  have  been  particularly  struck  with  his 
familiar  and  accurate  acquaintance  with  the  facts,  the  doctrines, 
and  the  great  teachers,  both  of  the  earlier  periods  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  of  the  times  of  the  Reformation,  — with  the  importance 
he  attached  to  such  an  acquaintance,  his  high  appreciation  of  such 
themes,  and  his  genuine  interest  in  such  inquiries. 

Of  his  qualities  as  a  preacher,  I  have  had  but  little  opportunity 
to  form  a  direct  and  independent  judgment.  But  what  I  have 
seen  and  heard  unequivocally  confirms  in  my  own  mind  the  uni- 
versal voice  of  those  who  have  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  him 
oftener.  I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt,  from  his  reputation  in  his 
old  parish  at  Exeter,  as  well  as  from  his  reputation  at  Brunswick 
and  wherever  else  he  has  preached,  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  ad- 
mirable sermonizers  and  one  of  the  most  eflfective  and  popular 
preachers  in  the  country. 

In  short,  I  regard  him  as  a  good  man,  with  a  great  heart  and  a 
comprehensive  mind,  genial  in  his  temperament,  sound  in  his  the- 
ology, thorough  in  his  scholarship,  ready  and  eloquent  in  speech, 
particular!}'  apt  in  giving  instruction,  and,  as  I  have  said,  with  a 
special  propension  to  historical  views  and  investigations  in  con- 
nection with  Christian  doctrine,  and  a  remarkable  accurac}'  and 
fulness  in  the  results  of  his  researches. 

Of  m}^  personal  acquaintance  among  Congregationalists  or  Pres- 
byterians, I  know  of  no  man  not  yet  tried  in  the  department  who 
is  in  m}'  judgment  so  admirably  fitted  for  the  chair  of  Ecclesiastical 
History  as  Professor  Hitchcock.  I  hesitate  not  to  say  that,  if  you 
get  him,  you  get  a  great  treasure. 

Strangely  enough,  in  the  face  of  such  testimony  as  this 
from  some  of  the  weightiest  men  in  New  England,  a  number 
of  leading  members  of  the  Board  and  the  senior  member  of 
the  Faculty,  —  excellent  men,  of  large  influence,  and  devoted 


278  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

friends  of  the  Seminary  —  strongly  opposed  the  appointment. 
In  this  exigency  Professor  Hitchcock  withdrew  his  name  in 
the  following  manly  letter:  — 

BowDoiN  College,  March  28,  1854. 
To  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary: 

Gentlemen,  —  In  permitting  my  name  to  go  before  j'ou  some 
weeks  ago  as  a  candidate  for  the  vacant  chair  of  Church  History-  in 
your  Seminary,  I  yielded  to  what  appeared  to  be  the  leading  of 
Providence,  asking  only  for  myself  that  I  might  know  what  the 
will  of  God  was  concerning  me. 

But  the  opposition  which  this  nomination  has  met  with,  and,  as 
I  judge,  is  likely  to  meet  with,  is  now  an  indication  to  me  that  I 
had  better  remain  undisturbed  in  my  present  position,  especially 
since  the  students  and  the  friends  of  our  College  in  the  State  at 
large  have  interposed  in  the  matter,  and  remonstrated  so  earnestly' 
against  my  removal.  It  is  due  to  these  friends  and  to  myself  that 
I  be  no  longer  a  candidate  for  your  vacant  Professorship.  By 
awaiting  further  action  on  your  part,  even  if  the  chances  were  that 
this  action  would  be  favorable,  I  should  only  compromise  my  own 
reputation  in  the  seeming  to  covet  an  appointment  which  I  have 
never  sought.  I  hasten,  therefore,  to  anticipate  all  further  discus- 
sion of  my  merits,  by  withdrawing  my  name  from  the  canvass. 

To  have  been  thought  of  by  so  intelligent  and  so  Christian  a 
body  of  men  for  such  an  office,  promising  so  large  a  usefulness,  is 
an  honor  for  which  I  thank  you.  But  far  above  all  personal  con- 
siderations is  my  desire  that  you  may  have  harmonious  counsels, 
and  so  conduct  the  affairs  of  the  important  institution  over  which 
you  preside  as  to  advance  most  surely  and  most  signally  the  king- 
dom of  our  common  Lord. 

Yours  in  Christian  affection, 

RoswELL  D.  Hitchcock. 

"  All 's  well  that  ends  well."  I  refer  to  this  incident  the 
more  freely,  because  a  year  later  Professor  Hitchcock  was 
unanimously  called  to  the  chair,  and  those  who  had  strenu- 
ously opposed  his  election  when  first  nominated  were  in  the 
end  numbered  among  his  warm  friends  and  admirers. 

An  extract  from  a  notice  of  Dr.  Hitchcock's  acceptance, 
written  by  me  at  the  time,  may  not  be  here  out  of  place. 


RO SWELL   DWIGUT  HITCHCOCK.  279 

The  chair  which  Professor  Hitchcock  is  called  to  fill  will  hereafter 
be  designated  as  the  Washburn  Professorship  of  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tor}-.  This  name  is  given  b}'  the  Christian  lad3^  whose  munificence 
has  endowed  it,  in  honor  of  her  lamented  brotlier,  the  late  Rev. 
Samuel  Washburn,  pastor  of  the  Fifth  Presbyterian  Clmrch  in  Bal- 
timore. It  is  intended  as  a  family  memorial,  and  has,  we  under- 
stand, long  since  been  in  contemplation.  We  cannot  imagine  a 
more  excellent  way  of  embalming  the  name  of  the  departed  ;  nor 
can  we  think  of  one  which  would  have  been  more  grateful  to  his 
feelings,  could  he  have  foreseen  it.  We  had  the  pleasure  of  know- 
ing Mr.  Washburn  long  and  well.  He  was  a  fearless,  earnest, 
whole-souled  Christian  man.  His  memory  is  most  affectionately 
cherished  in  the  hearts  of  his  people  at  Baltimore  ;  and  we  are  sure 
that  the}',  in  common  with  all  his  old  friends  here  and  in  New 
England,  will  hail  with  great  satisfaction  this  enduring  tribute  to 
his  worth.  It  is  peculiarly  fitting  that  Professor  Hitchcock  should 
be  the  first  occupant  of  the  endowed  chair ;  for  he  and  Mi-.  Wash- 
burn were  intimate  and  warmly  attached  friends.  Could  the  per- 
sonal wishes  of  the  latter  have  been  consulted,  his  choice  would, 
without  doubt,  have  been  that  of  the  Board. 

We  have  deemed  it  not  improper  to  make  these  explanations  ;  for 
they  reflect  honor  upon  all  the  parties  concerned.  Would  that 
many  Christian  ladies  whom  God  has  endowed  with  wealth  might 
thus  perpetuate  the  names  of  sainted  friends,  by  identifying  them 
with  institutions  sacred  to  Christ  and  the  Church  !  Such  monu- 
ments are,  in  no  small  degree,  "exempted  from  the  wrong  of 
time."  They  remind  us  of  the  beautiful  fiction  mentioned  by  Lord 
Bacon  :  "  One  of  the  poets  feigned  that  at  the  end  of  the  thread  or 
web  of  every  man's  life  there  was  a  little  medal  containing  the 
person's  name,  and  that  Time  waited  upon  the  shears,  and,  as  soon 
as  the  thread  was  cut,  caught  the  medals  and  carried  them  to  the 
river  of  Lethe ;  and  about  the  bank  there  were  many  birds  flying 
up  and  down,  that  would  get  the  medals  and  carry  them  in  their 
beaks  a  little  while,  and  then  let  them  fall  into  the  river ;  only 
there  were  a  few  swans,  which,  if  the}-  got  a  name,  would  carry  it 
to  a  temple  where  it  was  consecrated."^ 

1  The  founder  of  the  chair  was  Mrs.  Jacob  Bell,  of  New  York.  She  was  a 
native  of  Minot,  Maine,  and,  like  her  brother,  possessed  uncommon  force  and 
decision  of  character.     For  some  years  she  was  a  member  of  the  Seventh  Pres- 


280  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Dr.  Hitchcock  had  been  in  New  York  but  a  short  time  when 
both  in  the  pulpit  and  on  the  platform  his  services  were  in 
constant  demand,  and  for  a  third  of  a  century  his  popularity 
continued  unabated.  On  accepting  the  call  of  the  Union  Semi- 
nary he  wrote  to  me :  "I  shall  go  to  New  York  with  all  my 
heart.  God  help  me  to  do  something  after  I  get  there!" 
These  words  express  the  spirit  which  marked  his  career  dur- 
ing the  next  third  of  a  century.  Always  busy,  he  was  busy 
to  the  very  last.  "  Blessed  is  that  servant  whom  his  lord, 
when  he  cometh,  shall  find  so  doing."  Who  ever  charged 
him  with  being  an  idler  in  his  Master's  vineyard  ?  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  he  gave  to  the  world  so  few  fruits  of  his  study 
in  permanent  form  ;  but  he  seemed  to  have  little  ambition  for 
literary  distinction;  his  ideal  was  high  and  exacting,  while 
his  intellectual  modesty  caused  him  to  shrink  from  the  re- 
sponsibility of  authorship.  But  if  his  publications  were  few, 
his  influence  as  a  Christian  scholar  was  large  and  potent. 
Who  that  listened  to  his  patriotic  addresses  during  the  war 
for  the  Union  will  ever  forget  their  eloquence,  or  the  luminous 
skill  with  which  he  unfolded  those  vital  principles  of  free- 
dom, nationality,  and  moral  order  that  lay  at  the  foundation 
of  the  great  contest  ?  In  some  of  the  most  important  pulpits 
of  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  his  power  as  an  interpreter  and 
advocate  of  the  central  truths  of  Christianity,  in  their  appli- 
cation both  to  the  individual  and  to  society,  cannot  easily  be 
overestimated.  How  many  through  his  presentation  and  en- 
forcement of  these  truths  first  learned  to  cast  away  their 
prejudices  against  Orthodoxy  and  the  spiritual  faith  of  the 
Gospel !     How  many  others  were  led  to  deeper,  more  cheer- 

byterian  Church,  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Dr.  Hatfield,  and,  later,  of  the 
Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church  under  the  ministry  of  Dr.  James  W.  Alex- 
ander. She  was  a  Ciiristian  woman  of  generous,  broad  sympathies,  became 
much  interested  in  the  Union  Seminary,  and  took  great  satisfaction  and  delight 
in  watching  Dr.  Hitchcock's  brilliant  career,  as  well  as  in  his  warm  friendship. 
She  died  in  1878. 


ROSWELL   DWIGIIT  HITCHCOCK.  281 

ing,  and  more  fruitful  views  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus ! 
Hearing  Dr.  Hitchcock  preach,  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago, 
was  a  memorable  event,  if  not  a  turning  point,  in  the  re- 
ligious life  of  hundreds  of  men  and  women. 

But  it  was  as  a  teacher  and  guide  of  students  of  divinity 
that  liis  influence  reached  its  greatest  power.  He  attracted 
them,  gained  their  love  and  admiration,  and  moulded  their 
sentiments  by  an  irresistible  charm.  His  method  of  instruc- 
tion was  easy  and  direct;  his  statements  were  of  crystal  clear- 
ness ;  and  the  sympathetic  glow  which  the  subject  kindled 
in  his  own  mind  diffused  itself  instantly  to  the  minds  of  his 
hearers.  At  times,  when  one  of  his  higher  moods  was  upon 
him  and  made  itself  felt  in  voice,  manner,  and  language,  the 
effect  was  magnetic.  Then  one  saw  that  he  was  a  born 
teacher.  He  had  the  rare  gift  of  condensing,  so  to  say,  a 
whole  mass  of  thought  and  feeling  into  a  single  sentence, 
and  that  in  a  way  to  intensify  the  distinctness,  as  well  as 
force,  of  both.  Sometimes  he  would  do  this  by  an  apt  meta- 
phor ;  sometimes  by  a  peculiar  skill  in  the  choice  and  collo- 
cation of  words.  These  striking  sentences  often  occurred  in 
his  most  familiar  talks  to  the  students.  Whether  they  came 
of  premeditation,  or  were  improvised,  —  the  sudden  inspira- 
tion of  a  full  mind, —  1  cannot  say.  He  was  scrupulously 
exact  in  giving  dates  and  in  the  minutest  statements  of  fact ; 
and  the  same  intellectual  virtue  would  of  itself  induce  much 
care  and  forethought  in  even  familiar  talks  concerning  Chris- 
tian truth  and  life.  A  "  slipshod  "  manner  of  speaking  about 
divine  things  seemed  alien  to  his  very  nature ;  he  could  not 
endure  it.  He  believed  in  the  lasting  power  of  a  good  im- 
pression, and  this  led  him  often  to  throw  his  whole  soul  into 
brief  casual  addresses,  if  so  be  the  truth  thus  uttered  might 
bear  fruit  unto  life. 

On  the  evening  of  December  6,  1887,  an  impressive  ser- 
vice in  memory  of  President  Hitchcock  was  held  in  the  Adams 
Chapel.     A  discourse  by  Dr.  Shcdd,  giving  a  careful,  discrimi- 


282  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

nating  estimate  of  his  life  and  character,  was  followed  by- 
brief  addresses  from  Professor  George  P.  Fisher  of  New 
Haven,  Professor  Francis  L.  Patton  of  Princeton,  and  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Parkhurst  of  New  York. 

This  sketch  cannot  be  closed  more  fitly  than  in  the  words 
of  Professor  Schaff,  spoken  at  his  inauguration,  on  September 
22,  1887,  as  Dr.  Hitchcock's  successor  in  the  chair  of  Church 
History :  — 

We  meet  under  a  cloud,  as  we  did  seven  years  ago  at  the  death 
of  Dr.  Adams,  whose  memory  is  still  fresh  and  green  in  our  hearts. 
But  let  us  now,  as  then,  look  at  the  silver  lining  of  that  cloud. 
Our  late  leader  fell,  like  his  predecessor,  "on  the  field  of  battle 
with  his  armor  on."  This  is  the  coveted  death  of  the  heroes  of 
war.  Wh}^  not  also  of  the  heroes  of  peace?  To  die  at  threescore 
years  and  ten,  on  the  summit  of  usefulness,  in  full  vigor  of  mind, 
surrounded  by  those  nearest  and  dearest,  at  a  moment's  warning, 
yet  fully  prepared,  —  this  is  a  crowning  mercy  of  God,  granted  to 
few  of  his  chosen  servants.  It  is  an  approach  to  the  translation 
of  Enoch  and  the  ascension  of  Elijah. 

Well  may  we  envy  the  fate  of  Dr.  Hitchcock,  whose  brilliant 
career  ended  in  a  glorious  sunset.  He  is  at  rest ;  he  wears  the 
crown  ;  he  sees  face  to  face.  All  problems  of  history  are  solved  for 
him  in  the  sunshine  of  God's  eternal  wisdom  and  love. 

"  He  is  gone,  but  we  remain 
In  this  world  of  sin  and  pain." 

While  we  rejoice  for  him,  we  mourn  for  ourselves.  Where  and 
when  shall  we  find  a  man  of  genius,  learning,  and  eloquence  so 
happily  blended  and  consecrated  to  the  service  of  religion,  —  a 
man  of  equal  brilliancy  and  power  in  the  chair,  in  the  pulpit,  and 
on  the  platform,  —  a  man  who  had  the  same  curiosa  felicitas 
verhorum.,  the  facult}'  of  clear,  crisp,  terse,  startling  expression, 
of  coining,  without  effort  or  art,  sentences  like  so  man}'  pieces 
of  refined  gold?  He  always  spoke  like  a  book,  and  could  spare 
himself  the  trouble  of  writing  books.  His  executive  ability  and 
success  as  President  are  embodied  in  these  monumental  buildings, 
which  are  at  the  same  time  his  own  monument  for  generations  to 
come. 

The  workmen  die,  the  work  must  go  on.     The  same  wise  Provi- 


f 


EOS  WELL   DWIGIIT  HITCHCOCK.  283 

dence  which  has  watched  over  this  institution  from  the  beginning 
will  not  forsake  it  in  the  future.  Extraordinary  work  is  carried  ou 
by  extraordinary  men,  ordinary  work  by  ordinary  men  ;  but,  what- 
ever the  work,  God  expects  all  his  servants  to  be  faithful ;  and  it 
is  neither  genius  nor  talent,  but  laithfulness  in  their  use,  which 
has  the  promise  of  reward.  Trust  in  God,  and  keep  your  armor 
on,  and  victory  is  insured. 


INDEX. 


A. 

Academic  Year,  94. 

Adams  Chapel,  memorial  service,  281. 

Adams,  John  R.,  chaplain,  273. 

Adams,  William  :  early  interest  in  Sem- 
inary, 19;  presidency,  50,  71 ;  fore- 
sight, 52 ;  letters  to,  56,  238  ;  tribute 
to  Skinner,  65;  welcome  to  Smith, 
68;  character,  70-72;  biography  of 
Mason,  132-134  ;  friend  of  Cox,  160  ; 
tribute  to  Barnes,  173;  to  McLane, 
178;  to  Baldwin,  185,  186;  Phelps's 
funeral,  199 ;  on  Coming's  death,  219 ; 
Lane's  friendship,  228  ;  biographical 
sketch,  266-274  ;  birth,  education, 
pastorates,  influence  in  the  church, 
266  ;  professorship,  267  ;  books  and 
preaching,  267 ;  army  address,  268- 
278;  friends,  273,  274;  services  to 
Seminary,  274  ;  death,  281. 

Alexander,  James  W.,  84,  223,  280. 

Alexander,  Joseph  Addison,  23,  24. 

Allen  Street  Church,  12,  24,  146,  252, 
254. 

Alton,  Illinois,  220-222. 

Alumni :  glory  of  a  seminary,  81,  82 ; 
missionary  list,  107-110. 

American  Bible  Society,  38,  146,  188, 
252. 

American  Biblical  Repository,  119. 

American  Christianity  :  characteristic 
institution,  3;  triumphs,  86;  three 
pillars,  211. 

American  Eclectic  Magazine,  119. 

American  Educution  Society,  15,  251, 
252. 

American  Home  Missionary  Society, 
15,  16,  38, 116, 117, 120, 122,  135, 139, 
140,  146,  192. 

American  Journal  of  Education,  119. 

American  Presbyterianism  :  divisions, 
40,41;  New  England  influence,  42- 
44. 

American  Presbyterian  Review,  265. 


American  Theological  Review,  187,204, 
265. 

American  Tract  Society,  22,  38,  137, 
139,  149,  153,  177,  178,  222,  268, 

Anti-slavery:  Patton's  attitude,  125, 
126;  Cox's  speech,  159,  160;  contest 
in  Illinois,  221,  222. 

Apologetics :  lectures,  50,  90  ;  lecture- 
ship, 261 ;  volume,  264. 

B. 

Bacox,  Francis  :  quoted,  86,  250 ;  le- 
gend, 279. 

Baird,  Charles  Washburn  :  career,  an- 
cestry, necrologist,  230. 

Baird,  Robert,  230. 

Baker,  Cornelius  :  a  Seminary  founder, 
9;  early  meetings,  10,  18;  director, 
20;  biographical  sketch,  142-144. 

Baldwin,  Elihu  W. :  pastorate.  182; 
memoir,  183. 

Baldwin,  John  Center:  birth  and  edu- 
cation, 184 ;  career,  185 ;  deatii  and 
generosity,  185,  186. 

Baldwin  Professorship,  95,  186,  237. 

Bancroft,  George,  quoted,  66,  67. 

Barclay,  Colonel,  215,  216. 

Barnes,  Albert:  trial,  7,  35;  Bible 
notes,  36,  170;  lectures,  51 ;  defend- 
ers, 117,  118,  234 ;  friend  of  Cox,  100 ; 
birth  and  education,  164  ;  pastorate, 
164,  165;  Presbyterianism,  166,  167; 
temperance,  167,  168 ;  authorship, 
168,  169  ;  character,  recollections, 
169  ;  study,  171 ;  age,  171, 172  ;  burn- 
ing his  sermons,  172,  173;  relation 
to  Seminary,  173 ;  death,  173, 174  ;  re- 
lation to  the  American  Board,  200 ; 
anecdote,  232 ;  Skinner's  friendship, 
258;  Adams's  intimacy,  273. 

Barrows,  Elijah  Porter:  director,  19; 
sketch  of,  151,  152 

Bartlett,  Dean,  quoted,  215. 


286 


INDEX. 


Bayley,  James  R.,  contestant,  31. 

Beeclier,  Henry  Ward,  207. 

Beeclier,  Lyman,  7,  35,  125. 

Bell,  Mrs   Jacob,  95,  279,  280. 

Bellamy,  Joseph,  4,  43,  158,  243. 

Bellows,  Henry  W.,  262,  263. 

Bethune,  George  W.,  131,  195,  199. 

Bible  :  investigations  involved,  46,  47  ; 
relation  to  science,  95;  Bibleism,  136; 
relation  to  Bresbyterianism,  173, 174. 

Bible  History,  professorship,  152,  162. 

Bible  House,  210. 

Bible  Lands,  147,  148. 

Biblical  Geography,  248,  250. 

Biblical  Literature:  elections  to  pro- 
fessorship of,  24 ;  Eobinson,  62,  63, 
247,  248 ;  exacting  study,  49. 

Biblical  Philology,  chair  created,  49. 

Biblical  Repository,  155,  245. 

Biblical  Theology,  89,  91,  92. 

Bidwell,  W.  H.,  biographical  sketch, 
187. 

Bleecker  Street  Church,  18,  132,  134, 
136,  140,  177,  191,  205,  212. 

Bliss,  Howard  S.,  fellow,  96. 

Bliss,  James  C. :  a  Seminary  foimder, 
9,  18 ;  biographical  sketch,  177,  178. 

Boorman,  James  :  gifts,  32,  197,  255 ; 
biographical  sketch,  195-198 

Booth,  Henry  M.,  176,  177. 

Brazil,  evangelization  of,  218,  219. 

Breckinridge,  John,  11. 

Breckinridge,  Robert  J.,  11,  84. 

Brewster,  Joseph,  21. 

Brick  Church,  20,  115,  140,  157,  163, 
191,  210,  218,  223. 

Briggs,  Charles  Augustus :  appoint- 
ment, 49  ;  librarian,  75,  76;  lectures, 
88-94  ;  letter  to,  263. 

Brigham,  John  C,  19. 

Brinsmade,  Horatio  N.,  biographical 
sketch,  180. 

Bronson,  Mrs.  Arthur,  33. 

Brooklyn:  proposed  transfer  of  Semi- 
nary to,  30 ;  Seminary  interest,  45, 46, 
53;  First  Church,  140,  148,  159,  162, 
176,  179  ;  Second  Church,  152,  191 ; 
growth,  179;  Third  Church,  180. 

Broome  Street  Church,  122,  185,  266. 

Brown,  Alexander,  238. 

Brown,  Francis :  appointment,  49 ; 
fellow,  96;  lectures,  88-94. 

Brown,  James  :  gifts,  55,  71,  94,  95 ; 
biographical  sketch,  238,  239. 

Brown,  John,  225, 226. 

Brown,  John  A.,  95,  2.38. 

Brown,  Sir  William,  238. 

Brown  Professorship,  established,  95. 

Bruce's  Lectures,  51. 

Bruen,  Matthias,  132. 

Buck,  Gurdon,  21 ;  surgical  skill,  209. 


Bush,  George,  24,  47. 

Bushnell,  Horace,  213. 

Butler,  Benjamin  F.,  gift,  55. 

Butler,  Charles :  Seminary  founder, 
19,  52,  53;  directorship,  20;  sub- 
scriptions, 21,  55  ;  reminiscences,  31 ; 
meeting,  54  ;  endowment,  200  ;  dedi- 
cation to,  249. 


c. 


Cady,  J.  Cleveland,  letter,  240-242. 

Calderwood's  Lectures,  51. 

Calhoun,  John  C,  217. 

Campbell,  Alfred  E.,  biographical 
sketch,  192. 

Carlyle,  Thomas.  113. 

Carter,  President,  241,  242. 

Catechetics,  60,  90. 

Central  American  Education  Society, 
41,  122. 

Central  Church,  229. 

Chalmers,  124,  161,  164. 

Channing,  William  Ellery,  166. 

Chester,  W.  W.,  21. 

Chi  Alpha :  formation,  128,  160 ;  talks, 
230 ;  meetings,  252. 

Christian  Ethics,  50,  91. 

Christian  Symbolism,  48. 

Christian  Theology,  foundation,  46,  47. 

Church,  New  Testament  definition,  35. 

Church  History :  first  professor,  49 ; 
address,  66,  67  ;  Smith,  69,  260,  261 ; 
chair,  95  ;  proficiency,  97  ;  Cox,  162, 
163;  Schaff,  194,282;  White,  252;  a 
science,  265  ;  Hitchcock,  274-278. 

Church  Polity,  60,  55,  92,  95. 

Civil  Law,  lectures,  88. 

Civil  War:  Patton,  126;  Baker,  141; 
Howland,  214 ;  Morgan,  240 ;  visit  to 
the  army  of  the  Potomac,  267,  268 ; 
address,  268-273 ;  all  sects  on  the 
staff,  272. 

Clarke,  Walter,  biographical  sketch, 
212,213. 

Classes,  residence  of  members  of,  78-81. 

Codwise,  Mrs.  David,  217. 

Coleridge's  Works,  275. 

Colgate,  William,  143. 

College  of  New  Jersey,  43,  155,  254. 

Condit,  Jonathan  B.,  biographical 
sketch,  187,  188. 

Conference  Meetings,  93. 

Congregationalism  :  relations  to  Sem- 
inary, 42  ;  position,  66  ;  similarity  to 
New  School  Presbyterianism,  69. 

Cooper,  James  Fenimore,  227. 

Cornell  University:  Crane,  75;  trust 
deeds,  214. 

Corning,  Hanson  Kelley :  biographical 
sketch,  218,  219. 


INDEX. 


287 


Corniner,  Jasper,  21 ;  biographical 
sketch,  191,  192. 

Corning,  Leonard  :  director,  20  ;  bio- 
graphical sketch,  154. 

Course  of  Study :  changed,  50,  51  ; 
outlines,  88-94. 

Covenant,  Church  of,  209,  256,  262. 

Cowper,  William,  quoted,  160. 

Cox,  Samuel  Hanson :  biographical 
sketch,  156-163 ;  parentage  and  edu- 
cation, 156 ;  ordination  and  work, 
158;  London  speecli,  159,  100;  per- 
sonal attractiveness,  160 ;  memory, 
160,  161 ;  relations  to  Seminary,  IGl- 
163  ;  character,  162,  163 ;  church  re- 
lations, 176,  196. 

Crane,  T.  F.,  treasures  of  the  library, 
75. 

Cross,  true  site  of,  147,  148. 

Cummings,  Asa,  quoted,  276. 

Curtis,  Edward  Lewis,  fellow,  96. 


D. 

Dark  Day,  189. 

Davenport,  Abraham,  anecdotes,  189, 
190. 

Davenport,  John  Alfred,  biographical 
sketch,  189-191. 

Davenport  Professorship,  94,  95,  197. 

Derry  Siege,  231. 

DeWitt,  Tliomas,  199. 

Dey  Street  Church,  212. 

Dickinson  College,  131. 

Dickinson,  Jonathan,  influence  of,  42, 
43. 

Dodge,  David  L.,  191. 

Dodge,  David  Stuart,  tribute  to  his 
father,  209. 

Dodge,  William  E. :  gifts,  21,55;  bio- 
graphical sketch,  207-209. 

Dogmatics,  lectures,  90-92. 

Dorner,  of  Berlin,  letter,  263. 

Duffield,  George,  trial,  7. 

Dwight,  Theodore  W.,  lectures,  51. 

Dwight,  Timothy:  Calvinism,  43;  in- 
fluence, 148;  theology,  158;  Travels, 
189,  190  ;  revival,  190;  a  type,  243. 


E. 


Early  Annals  :  site,  22 ;  disasters, 
27;  library,  73;  trials,  31,  32;  au- 
thor, 184. 

Ecclesiastical  Boards,  7. 

Ecclesiastical  Polity,  lectures,  88. 


Eddy,  Ansel  Doan,  biographical  sketch, 

155. 
Edwards,   Jonathan  :    works,   38,  123, 

124;    Calvinism,  43;    a  theological 

favorite,  161. 
Edwards,  Justin  :  appointment,  23,  42 ; 

Life,  139. 
Elocution,  51,  62,  90. 
Ely,  Z.  Stiles,  95. 
Ely,  of  South  Hadlcy,  198. 
Ely    Lectureship :   founded,    51 ;    lec- 
tures, 88,  95,  173,  261. 
Emerson,  Kalpli  Waldo,  275. 
Emerson,  Samuel  Franklin,  fellow,  96. 
Evangelical  Alliance,  13,  125,  201,  267. 
EvangeUne,  an  illustration,  100,  101. 
Evarts,  Jeremiah,  190. 
Evidences    of    Christianity :    lectures, 

51,  88,  95;  Chalmers,  164;  Barnes, 

173. 
Examinations,  94. 
Exegesis,  88-91. 
Exscinding  Act,  117,  161. 


Faith,  relation  to  philosophy,  66,  67, 

265. 
Fassitt,  Mary,  gift,  225. 
Fellows,  list  of,  96. 
Fellowships,  52,  95,  96. 
Fene'lon,  anecdote,  133. 
Ferguson,  Robert,  fellow,  90. 
Fewsmith,  Joseph;  biographical  sketch, 

192-194;  birth  and^  education,  192; 

pastorate,  193 ;  character,   193,  194  ; 

relation   to   Seminary,    194 ;    death, 

237. 
Field,  David  D.,  76. 
Fifth  Avenue  Church,  227,  280. 
Financial  Cyclone,  17,  26. 
Finney,  C.  G. :  on  revivals,  124  ;  con- 
versions, 204,  205,  207. 
Fisher,  Abijah  :  a  Seminary  founder,  9  ; 

character  and  position,  17  ;  director, 

20  ;  biographical  sketch,  140. 
Fisher,  George  P.,  282. 
Fisher,     Samuel       W.,     biographical 

sketch,  181. 
Foreign  Missions,  alumni  in,  81,  107- 

110. 
Fourth  Avenue  Church,  177. 
Fourteenth  Street  Church  :  pastor,  174  ; 

workers,  182. 
Fox,  George,  160. 
Francis  P.  Schoals  Fellowsliip,  95. 
Frelinghuysen,  Theoilore,  39. 
Fuller,  Andrew,  43,  168. 


288 


INDEX. 


G. 

Gallaghkk,  Joseph  Steele  :  agency, 
54,  55,  218  ;  eiulowment,  183,  200 ; 
biographical  sketch,  215-'218. 

Gardiner,  Harry  Norman,  fellow,  96. 

Gates,  Owen  H.,  fellow,  96. 

General  Assembly  :  relation  to  Semi- 
nary, 37  ;  trial  and  defence  of  Barnes, 
117,  118;  wise  speech,  150;  reunited, 
169. 

General  Theological  Seminary,  23. 

German  Theological  Seminary,  193. 

German  Theology,  178,  244. 

Geseniiis,  244,  245. 

Gieseler's  AVorks,  265. 

Gilbert,  George  HoUey,  fellow,  96. 

Gillett,  Charles  Ripley  :  fellow,  96  ;  li- 
brarian, 104. 

Gillett  Collection,  76. 

Gilman,  Wintlirop  Sargent;  biographi- 
cal sketch,  220-224;  ancestry,  220; 
commercial  career,  220,  221 ;  free 
speech,  221,  222;  Bible  study,  church 
relations,  222;  New  York  life,  223; 
old  age,  223,  224  ;  death,  224. 

Godet,  260,  263. 

Goodwin,  D.  R.,  39. 

Gorres,  of  Munich,  163. 

Graefe,  of  Berlin,  250. 

Grant,  Ulysses  S.,  268,  270. 

Greek  :  Seminary  study,  46,  47,  49; 
lectures,  86,  89  ;  Bible,  247,  248. 

Greene,  General,  163. 

Greenwood  Cemetery,  179. 

Gregory,  Olynthus,  216. 

Griffin,"Edward  Dorr,  10. 

Griffith,  Walter  Scott:  biographical 
sketch,  203-207  ;  birth  and  ancestry, 
203  ;  public  offices,  203,  204  ;  work, 
speaking,  204,  205;  army,  205,  206; 
sympathy,  206  ;  missions,  206,  207. 

Griswold,  George,  21. 

Griswold,  Hervey  D.,  fellow,  96. 

Griswold,  Nathaniel,  21. 

Gutenberg  Bible,  107. 

Guyot,  Arnold,  lectures,  51. 


H. 

Hadlet,  Henry  Hamilton,  48. 

Hagenbach's  Works,  265. 

Haines,  Richard  Townley  :  a  Seminary 
founder,  9;  character,  16,  17;  bio- 
graphical sketch,  137-139. 

Hall,  Robert,  38,  43. 

Halsey,  Anthony  P. :  biographical 
sketch,  175. 


Halsted,  Caleb  Oliver  :  interest  in  Semi- 
nary, 19,  52 ;  director,  20 ;  biographi- 
cal sketch,  153,  154. 

Halsted,  William  M. :  a  Seminary 
founder,  9 ;  early  meeting,  10 ;  di- 
rector, 20  ;  loan,  28 ;  library,  33 ; 
biographical  sketch,  139,  140. 

Hamlin,  Cyrus,  39. 

Hancock,  General,  review,  268. 

Harkness  Instructorship,  96. 

Harper's  Weekly,  picture,  269. 

Harvard  College,  244. 

Hastings,  Thomas  Samuel :  appoint- 
ment, 50;  lectures,  90-04. 

Hatfield,  Edwin  F.  :  letter  to,  13  ; 
Annals,  22-27 ;  name  of  Semi- 
nary, 27  ;  its  debts,  29 ;  agency,  55 ; 
welcome  to  Smith,  68 ;  on  library, 
73  ;  gift,  76 ;  biographical  sketch, 
182-184. 

Hawes,  Joel,  180,  213. 

Health,  lectures,  88,  95. 

Hebrew  :  study,  46,  47  ;  professorship, 
48,  49,  94,  95  ;  Robinson's  researches, 
62;  lectures,  88,  92-94;  advanced 
class,  89 ;  poetry  and  history,  90 ; 
Bible,  247  ;  Smith's  teaching,  260. 

Henry,  C.  S.,  39. 

Henry  B.  Smith  Memorial  Library, 
76. 

Herman,  Professor,  lectures,  89. 

Hickock,  Laurens  P.,  192,  193. 

Hitchcock,  Roswell  Dwight:  address, 
5,  59,  60  ;  character,  17  ;  on  name  of 
Seminary,  27;  appointment,  49; 
presidency,  50;  tril)Ute  to  Morgan, 
240  ;  Life  of  Robinson,  250  ;  biogra- 
phy, 274-283. 

Hitchcock  Prize,  52,  96. 

Hoadley,  David  :  interest  in  Seminary, 
52;  biographical  sketch,  181,  182. 

Hodge,  Archibald  Alexander,  84. 

Hodge,  Charles.  84,  210,  264. 

Holy  Land,  Robinson's  researches,  47, 
62,  63,  248,  250. 

Home  Missionary  and  Pastoral  Jour- 
nal, established,  116. 

Hooker,  Thomas.  179. 

Hopkins,  Mark,  10,  42,  210. 

Hopkins,  Samuel,  4,  43,  161. 

Howard,  General,  273. 

Howe,  Fisher  :  a  Seminary  founder,  9, 
18;  director,  20;  biographical  sketch, 
147,  148. 

Howe,  S.  G.,  39. 

Hovvland,  John,  in  the  Mayflower, 
213. 

Howland,  Joseph  :  biographical  sketch, 
213-215. 

Hughes,  Archbishop,  31. 

Humphrey,  Heman,  39,  42,  224. 


INDEX. 


289 


Iluniplirey,    Zephaniah   Moore  :    bio- 
graphical sketcli,  224-226. 
Hymnology,  51,  91. 


Instrdctorships,  52,  96. 
Intemperance,  assailed  by  Beoclier,  35. 
Ivison,    Henry,    biographical    slietch, 
227,  228. 


James,  Daniel  Wilms,  55. 

James,  John  Angell,  letter  to,  123-125. 

Jesup,  Morris  K.,  55. 

Judd,  Gideon  Noble,  agent,  54. 

Junkin,  George,  84. 


K. 

Kahnis,  260. 

Karr,  William  S.,  265. 

Kennedy,  John  S.,  141,  142. 

Kent,  Cliancellor,  15. 

Ketcham,  Enoch,  55. 

Kingdom  of  God,  relation  of  theological 

seminaries  to,  4. 
Kirkland  Family,  24-3,  244. 


Lafayette,  121. 

Lane,  George  William,  biographical 
sketch,  228,  229. 

Lane  Seminary,  98,  187,  224. 

Leavitt,  David,  biographical  sketch, 
176,  177. 

Lectureships,  51,  52,  95. 

Lenox,  James,  224. 

Lewis,  William  B.,  biographical  sketcli, 
180. 

Lewis,  Zechariah,  biographical  sketch, 
153. 

Library  :  number  of  books,  73  ;  special 
collections,  75,  76  ;  tliree  librarians, 
75,  76;  three  departments  emlowed, 
76 ;  value,  76  ;  needs,  77  ;  reservoir 
of  broad  scholarship,  77 ;  plea  for 
endowment,  99  ;  treasures,  101-107 ; 
history  of  tlie  Van  Ess  collection, 
102-104  ;  room,  104  ;  special  works, 
104-106 ;  early  prints,  105 ;  early 
classics,  105,  100;  Oriental  books, 
106;  two  interesting  works,  106; 
error  criticised,  107  ;  needs  and  gifts, 
200. 


Litc-ary     and     Theological     Review, 

started,  39. 
Liturgies,  Presbyterian,  230. 
Lockwood,  Lubin  Burton,  agency.  51. 
Log  College,  231. 
Long  Parliament,  40. 
Lord,  Daniel,  223. 
Lovejoy  Kiot,  221,  222. 
Ludlow,  Henry  G.,  19,  123. 
Luther,  Martin,  as  a  theologian,  61. 


M. 

Madison,  President,  125. 

Madison  Square  Church  :  Adams,  185, 

266;  Lane,  228;  McClellan,  274. 
Magie,    David :    biographical    sketch, 

154,  155. 
Marburg  University,  74. 
Marquand,  Frederick,  55. 
Marsh,  John,  76. 
Mason,  Erskine :  a  Seminary  founder, 

9;   character  and  influence,  14-16; 

director,    19 ;    biographical    sketch, 

130-136. 
Mason,  John  L.,  19,  21. 
Mason,  John  M.,  14,  130,  131,  190,  191. 
Mayflower,  225. 
McAlpin,  David  Hunter  :  gifts,  55,  76  ; 

endowment  of  chair,  95. 
McAlpin  Collection,  76. 
McAuley,  Thomas,  19,  21,  24,49,50; 

biographical  sketch,  149-151. 
McClellan,  George  B.,  2-3. 
McCosh's  Lectures,  51. 
McDowell,  John,  155,  255. 
McKenzie,  Alexander,  tribute  to  Treat, 

156. 
McLane,  James   Woods,  biographical 

sketch,  178. 
Mercer  Street  Church,  23,  25,  33,  .52, 

66,  64,  144,  163,  188.  196,  210,  212, 

255. 
Midiilebury  College,  121,  182,  186. 
Mill,  John  Stuart,  264. 
Miller,  Samuel,  255. 
Milnor,  James,  178. 
Mission  Work  :  professorship  of,  .50,  65, 

95;  Alumni  engaged  in,  107-110. 
Moody  and  Sankey,  208. 
Moore,  Edward  Caldwell,  fellow,  96. 
Morgan,  Edwin  Denison  :  gifts,  55-57, 

72 ;  library,  77  ;  biographical  sketch, 

240-242. 
Morgan,  E.  W.,  21. 
Morse  Lectureship,  51,  88,  95. 
Morse,  Sanujel  F.  B.,  95,  273. 
Murray,  James  ().,  22-3. 
Musical  instruction,  52. 


19 


290 


INDEX. 


N. 

Neander,  62,  89,  90,  244,  260,  263. 

Nelson,  John  G.,  21. 

Nesliaminy  :  cemetery,  231  ;  church, 
2:J6. 

Nertleton,  the  Revivalist,  207. 

Mevins,  Rufus,  21. 

Nevins,  Russell  H.,  21. 

Newark  Pastors,  remarkable  triumvi- 
rate of,  237. 

New  England:  clerical  education,  4; 
divinity,  6,  7;  ideas,  11;  Puritan 
element,  40,  41,  97  ;  influence  upon 
Presbyterianism,  42,  4.j. 

New  Lights,  40. 

New  School  Presbyterianism  :  relation 
to  Seminary,  36,  41,  83;  Old  School 
and  New  School,  antiquated  names, 
84. 

New  Testament :  Barnes's  commen- 
tary, 36,  165,  166,  168,  169,  171. 

New  York  City  :  need  of  Seminary, 
6,  13  ;  laymen,  16  ;  fire,  21 ;  local 
changes,  how  settled,  22,  23;  pro- 
gressive churches,  36  ;  place  for  a 
theological  seminary,  98,  99;  a  great 
religious  centre,  38,  153;  interest  in 
Seminary,  45,  46,  136  ;  duty,  56,  57  ; 
rapid  growth,  123;  drinking,  126- 
128:  Otis's  acquaintance,  142;  Lew- 
is, 153  :  Davenport,  190,  191 ;  Cor- 
ning, 191  ;  Griffith,  203,204  ;  Dodge, 
207,  208;  White,  210;  Van  Rens- 
selaer, 226 ;  Lane,  228 ;  Christian  citi- 
zens, 227;  publications,  227;  Mor- 
gan, 240  ;  piety  and  enterprise,  246  ; 
Hitchcock,  280. 

Nitchie,  John :  a  Seminary  founder, 
9,  10,  18  ;  on  committee,  15  ;  di- 
rector, 20;  biographical  sketch,  145- 
147. 

Nordheimer,  IsaaCj  47,  48. 


0. 


Old  Age,  119,  120,  169,  171,  172. 

Old  Lights,  40. 

Old  Orthodoxy,  7,  8. 

Old  School  Presbyterianism  :  relation 
to  Seminary,  42, 43 ;  Smith,  70 ;  name 
outgrown,  84 ;  ministers,  170  ;  re- 
union, 236. 

Oriental  Languages  :  professorship,  47, 
48,  94,  95  ;  lectures,  92,  93. 

Otis,  Joseph,  20 ;  biographical  sketch, 
142-145. 

Otis  Library,  142. 


P. 

Paderborn  Monastery,  73-75. 

Page,  Harlan,  122. 

Parker,  Joel,  141 ;  biographical  sketch, 
:^1 1,212. 

Parker  Lectureship,  51,  88,  95. 

Pastoral  Theology :  professorship  of, 
24,  49,  50,  55,  95,  119,  193,  256,  257. 

Patristic  Studies,  232,  235. 

Patterson,  Brother,  258. 

Patton,  Colonel,  patriotism,  121. 

Pal  ton,  Francis  L.,  addresses,  263,  282. 

Patton,  William :  a  Seminary  founder, 
9,  10;  character  and  position,  12-14; 
biographical  sketch,  121-130;  ances- 
try and  education,  121 ;  preaching, 
121,  122  ;  offices,  122 ;  metropolitan 
pastorate,  123;  catholicity,  124,  125; 
literary  qualities,  anti-slavery,  125 ; 
heredity,  125,  126 ;  temperance,  126- 
128 ;  one  hearer,  128 ;  friends  out- 
side, death,  Jewish  tribute,  129  ;  res- 
ignation, 129,  130 ;  friend  of  Cox, 
160 ;  pastorate,  184 ;  anecdotes  of 
Wilson,  232,  233. 

Paul,  a  theologian,  61. 

Perit,  Pelatiali,  20,  21 ;  biographical 
sketch,  148,  149. 

Peterborough,  Lord,  quoted,  133. 

Peters,  Absalom  :  a  Seminary  founder, 
9,  10  ;  standing,  10-12  ;  debates,  13  ; 
committee,  15;  director,  19;  bio- 
graphical sketch,  113,  121;  ancestry, 
113;  childhood,  114;  poetry.  114, 119; 
education,  115 ;  church,  116 ;  mis- 
sionary work,  116,  117;  conflicts, 
117,  118;  retirement  and  literary 
work,  119;  death,  120;  influence, 
120,  121. 

Peters,  General,  113-115. 

Phelps,  Anson  G.  :  interest  in  Semi- 
nary, 19  ;  sketch,  163,  164. 

Phelps,  Anson  G.,  Jr. :  biographical 
sketch,  198-203;  birth,  education, 
health,  business,  198;  death,  199; 
memoir,  199-202;  character,  202, 
203. 

Philadelphia  Fellowship,  51,  95. 

Physical  and  Mental  Hygiene,  51. 

Plato,  quoted,  257. 

Plumer,  William  S.,  11. 

Pond,  Enoch,  39. 

Porter,  Noali,  252. 

Post,  Alfred  Charles,  biographical 
sketch,  209. 

Prentiss,  George  Lewis:  appointment 
to  a  chair  in  the  Seminary,  50 ;  ser- 
mon, 97-100  ;  on  Hitchcock,  278,  279. 

Presbyterian  Church  :  Rice,  6 ;  trou- 
bles, 7  :  Mason,  14,  133  ;   interest  ia 


INDEX. 


291 


Seminary,  19  ;  disputes  26,  27  ;  lead- 
ers, 34  ;  disruption,  30  ;  opinions  in- 
fluential, 39;  progress,  40,  41  ;  type, 
41;  faith  and  standing,  44;  battle- 
field, 61 ;  Smith,  65,  260,  261 ;  Adams, 
71,  260 ;  contentions,  83 ;  reunion, 
83,  84 ;  relations  to  Seminary,  97, 
98;  Peters,  117,  118;  Patton,  121, 
122,  129,  130;  Biblical  foundation, 
136  ;  Haines,  139  ;  Fislier,  140  ; 
Baker,  141 ;  McAuley,  History,  150; 
policy,  157;  Barnes,  166;  Hatfield, 
183,  184 ;  relation  to  American 
Board,  206  ;  foremost  minister  of, 
231 ;  moderate  and  catholic  spirit, 
234  ;  schism,  255  ;  Skinner,  258  ; 
three  controversialists,  265. 

Princeton  Review,  265. 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary :  ideas, 
6;  Union  Seminary  founders  there, 
15;  age,  25;  Peters,  115;  Patton, 
121 ;  Mason,  131 :  Lewis,  153 ;  Magie, 
155 ;  Barnes,  164 ;  Brinsmade,  180  ; 
Fisher,  181;  Campbell,  192;  Gal- 
lagher, 218 ;  White,  252  ;  Skinner, 
254  ;  Systematic  Theology,  264. 

Professors,  increased,  50. 

Professorships,  list,  94,  95. 

Protestantism,  general  views,  124. 

Protracted  Meetings,  7. 

Puritanism :  stock,  10 ;  literature,  38, 
76  ;  element  in  New  England,  40-43  ; 
predilections,  97  ;  tlie  Davenports, 
189 ;  the  Robinsons,  243 ;  principles, 
115. 

Q. 

Quakerism,  renounced,  156,  160,  161. 


R. 


Randall,  of  Pennsylvania,  15. 

Randolph,  A.  D.  F.,  publications,  250. 

Reformation  :  books,  77  ;  history,  277. 

Relation  of  Civil  Law  to  Ecclesiasti- 
cal Polity,  Property  and  Discipline, 
lectures  on,  51. 

Relations  of  Science  and  Religion,  15. 

Religious  Influences,  3,  4. 

Revolution  :  Peters  family,  114;  affect- 
ing a  library,  104;  Patton  family, 
121,  125,  126;  Otis  family,  142; 
Phelps  family,  163 ;  Davenport 
family,  189. 

Rice,  John  Holt:  letters,  5,  6,  7,  1-35, 
136  ;  advice,  16  ;  definition  of  Ortho- 
doxv,  42,  43. 

Rich,  Mrs.  Thomas  H.,  letters,  136, 137. 

Riggs,  Elias,  48. 


I  Ritter,  Karl,  02,  244. 

Robert,  Christopher  R.,  175,  182. 
j  Robinson,  Charles  S.,  tribute  to  Howe, 
I      148. 

Robinson,  Edward  :  appointment,  24  ; 
fitness,  40,  47;  death,  48,  250;  de- 
partment organized,  49 ;  character 
and  honors,  62,  03 ;  Biblical  Keposi- 
tory,  119;  biographical  sketch,  243- 
251 ;  ancestry,  editorship,  health,  243  ; 
marriages,  243-245  ;  liomc  and  for- 
eign study,  244  ;  Andover,  and  lit- 
erary service,  245;  letter,  246-249; 
travel,  249;  new  books,  249,  250; 
Biblical  Researches,  249  ;  physique, 
2.50,  251. 

Robinson,  William,  243. 

Rogers,  John,  descendants,  11.3. 

Roman  Catholicism :  seminaries,  3  ;  a 
convert,  31 ;  library,  73,  74. 

Roosevelt,  James :  legacy,  30,  31,  33 ; 
chair,  94,  255. 

Rowland,  Henry  Augustus :  director, 
19;  biographical  sketch,  151. 

Royal  Geographical  Society,  medal, 
249. 

Rush,  Benjamin,  231. 


s. 


Sabbath  Committee,  210,  211. 

Sacred  Literature,  48,  95,  151. 

Sacred  Music,  51,  89.  93,  94. 

Sacred  Rhetoric:  Skinner,  32,  50,  03, 
255-257;  Adams,  71;  chair,  94,  95; 
Parker,  212  ;  Adams,  207. 

Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  22,  149. 

Sanders's  Readers,  227. 

Schaff,  Piiilip :  appointment,  48;  lec- 
tures, 88,  90-94  ;  inauguration,  194  ; 
tribute  to  White,  210;  on  his  prede- 
cessor, 282,  283. 

Schauffler,  A.  F.,  142,27.3. 

Schedule  of  Lectures,  93,  94. 

Schleiermacher,  68. 

Schoals,  Francis  Peoples  :  fellowship, 
51 ;    biographical    sketch,   184. 

Scotch  Irish  in  America,  40 ;  Pattons. 
121 ;  Presbyterianism,  154  ;  Wilsons, 
229. 

Scott,  Thomas,  theology,  154. 

Scott,  Walter,  quoted,  160. 

Scott,  Winfield,  217,  21S,  274. 

Seaman's  Friend  Society :  founded, 
143;  Perit,  149. 

Seaver,  J.  J.,  tribute  to  Howland,  214 

Second  Advent  of  Christ,  92. 

Sedgwick,  General,  268,  270. 

Semi-centennial,  5,  82. 

Septuagint,  247. 


292 


INDEX. 


Seward,  William  H.,  187,  227. 

Shakespeare,  studied,  224. 

SheJd,  William  Greenough  Thayer: 
appointment,  48,  49 ;  lectures,  90-94 ; 
sermon,  281,  282. 

Sherwood,  Doctor,  152,  153. 

Shipman,  George  P.,  21,  143. 

Skinner  and  McAlpin  Professorship : 
founded,  50  ;  endowed,  55,  95. 

Skinner,  Thomas  Harvey  :  interest  in 
Seminary,  19;  entimsiasm,  25;  ap- 
pointment, 32,  50:  friends,  55;  chair 
and  influence,  63-65;  Evangelical  Al- 
liance, 125 ;  Mercer  Street,  137 ;  no- 
tice of  Otis,  144, 145 ;  friendship  with 
Cox,  160  ;  a  listener,  162 ;  on  Barnes, 
167;  close  relations  with  Boorman, 
197, 198  ;  as  pastor,  198  ;  house,  201 ; 
defended  bj'  Wilson,  2.34 ;  biographi- 
cal sketch,  254-259;  birth  and  edu- 
cation, 254,  255 ;  ministerial  career, 
255 ;  professorship,  256-259 ;  prepar- 
atory care,  257,  258 ;  greatness,  kind- 
ness, pupils,  church  views,  258; 
preaching,  258,  259 ;  power,  old  age, 
death,  259. 

Smith,  Asa  D. :  interest  in  Seminary, 
19 ;  welcoming  H.  B.  Smith,  68 ;  bio- 
graphical sketch,  174,  175;  char- 
acter, 175 ;  pastorate,  182  ;  relation 
to  missions,  206;  tribute  to  White, 
253,  254. 

Smith,  Cyrus  Porter,  biographical 
sketch,  179,  180. 

Smith,  Eli,  travels,  249. 

Smith,  Henry  Boynton :  appointment, 
49 ;  appeal,  54 ;  arrival  and  charac- 
ter, 65-70;  decision,  G6;  address,  6G, 
67;  transfer,  67,  261,  276;  training 
and  welcome,  68;  views  questioned, 
69;  librarian,  75;  tribute  to  Halsted, 
154;  tribute  to  Phelps,  197-201;  to 
Howland,  215;  Wilson's  regard,  237  ; 
Life  of  Robinson,  250;  Skinner  ad- 
dress, 2.56-259 ;  biographical  sketch, 
260-266;  birth,  education,  travels, 
pastorate,  260;  professorships,  260, 
261 ;  age  and  illness,  261 ;  last  pub- 
lic words,  261,  262;  funeral,  262; 
eulogistic  letters,  262-264;  literary 
worker,  264,  265;  qualities,  265. 

Society  of  Inquiry  Concerning  Mis- 
sions, 88. 

Southern  Aid  Society,  188,  196. 

Spear,  Samuel  T.,  191,  206. 

Spencer,  Ichabod  S. :  interest  in  Semi- 
nary, 19;  biographical  sketch,  152, 
153. 

Sprague,  William  Buel,  39;  Annals, 
233,  234. 

Spring,  Gardiner,  nomination  and  de- 


fence of  Cox  as  a  home  missionary, 

1.56-158. 
Spring   Street  Church:    Fatten,  123; 

Cox,  158;   Campbell,  192;   Wilson, 

229. 
Stanley,  Dean,  on  Robinson,  62,  63. 
Stearns,    Jonathan   F.,    one    of    three 

memorable  Newark  directors,  237. 
Stiles,  Joseph  C,  biographical  sketch, 

188,  189. 
Stitt,  W.  C,  quoted,  193,  194. 
Storrs,  Richard  S.,  51,  207. 
Stowe,  Calvin  E.,  39,  75. 
Strong,  William,  lectures,  51. 
Stuart,  Moses,  244,  273. 
Students  from  all  quarters,  78-81. 
Sunday    Schools  :    earliest,    143,  191  ; 

Gallagher,   216,  217;    Gilman,  222; 

commentary,  233. 
Systematic  Theology :  first  professor, 

42 ;  White,  61 ;  Smith,  67,  69 ;  Wil- 
son, 237;   White,  251,  252;   Smith, 

261. 


T. 


Talbot,  Charles  N.,  21. 

Taylor,  Isaac,  38,  273. 

Taylor,  James  Brainerd,  Memoir,  16. 

Taylor,  Knowles  :  a  Seminary  founder, 
9  ;  early  meetings,  10,  25  ;  character 
and  influence,  16, 134  ;  director,  sub- 
scription, 20  ;  biographical  sketch, 
134-137  ;  birth  and  ancestry,  134  ; 
business,  134,  135  :  generosity,  135; 
connection  with  Virginia,  135,  136 ; 
daughter's  testimony,  136,  137. 

Taylor,  W.  J.  R.,  eulogy  on  Wilson, 
235. 

Teachers,  importance  of  character,  60. 

Tennent,  William,  grave,  231. 

Thanksgiving,  red-letter  day,  267. 

Thatcher,  Oliver  Joseph,  fellow,  96. 

Theological  Cyclopedia  :  chair,  48  ; 
lectures,  88. ' 

Theological  Seminaries  in  the  United 
States,  3,  4. 

Theology  :  great  teachers,  61. 

Tlioluck  :  relation  to  Robinson,  244  ;  to 
Smith,  260. 

Thompson,  Joseph  P.,  on  Peters,  118. 

Toilers,  three  kinds,  251. 

Torrey,  David,  226. 

Transcendentalism,  275,  276. 

Treat,  Selah  B.  :  biographical  sketch, 
155,  1.56. 

Triumvirate  of  Newark  Ministers,  237. 

Trumbull,  Jonathan,  189. 

Turner,  William  Wadden,  48. 


INDEX. 


293 


U. 

Ulrici,  of  Halle,  200. 

Union  College:  McAuley,  149,  150; 
Spencer,  152  ;  Eddy.  155  ;  Campbell, 
192  ;  White,  251,  252. 

Union  Square,  laid  out,  22. 

Union  Theological  Seminary :  origin 
and  design,  5-8;  fiftieth  anniversary, 
standing,  prosperity,  hirth-date,  5 ; 
anticipated  and  planned,  G  ;  troublous 
times,  7  ;  rallying  point  of  peace, 
declaration  of  design,  8  ;  founders, 
8-20,  113-240;  first  meeting,  9; 
second  meeting,  9,  10  ;  resolutions, 
10;  Peters's  invaluable  service,  11- 
13  ;  plan  of  instruction,  12,  18 ; 
Whites  sound  judgment,  Patton's 
wide  views,  12  ;  a  trust  fund,  13  ; 
financial  experiment,  13,  14  ;  Mason's 
modest  strength,  14,  15  ;  preamble 
to  constitution,  14,  15,  44  ;  maturity 
of  four  projectors,  15 ;  lay  helpers, 
16-19 ;  Taylor's  house,  1(3,  25  ; 
Haines  and  Halsted  indispensable, 
16,  17,  3.3,  .34 ;  Fisher's  faithfulness, 
17  ;  Howe's  long  service,  18;  other 
founders,  18,  19;  fourth  meeting,  di- 
rectors, 19 ;  fifth  meeting,  subscrip- 
tion paper,  19,  20 ;  sixth  meeting, 
first  Board  of  Directors,  Spring's 
declination,  20 ;  equipment,  opening, 
early  struggles,  20-34 ;  original  sub- 
scription-book, 20,  21 ;  great  fire,  21 ; 
first  Board  meeting,  21,  22 ;  name 
adopted,  location  on  University  Place, 
22  ;  professorial  corps,  23  ;  Edwards, 
23;  Alexander,  23,  24;  White,  24, 
49;  McAuley,  24,  49,  50;  Robin- 
son, 24,  46,  47  ;  opened,  24  ;  classes 
held  in  different  places,  24,  25  ;  stu- 
dents enrolled,  comparative  age  of 
school,  sharp  trials,  25  ;  building 
contracts,  25,  26  ;  subscription  de- 
pleted for  salaries  and  books,  causes 
of  suspension  of  work,  26 ;  denomi- 
national divisions,  26,  27 ;  special 
gifts,  27 ;  library  purchased,  name 
changed,  27  ;  fourth  year,  new  ap- 
plicants, 27,  28  ;  lodgings,  mortgage, 
scarcity  of  money,  28  ;  treasurer's 
loans,  28,  29;  houses  sold,  dark 
prospects,  increasing  debt,  new 
pledges,  the  fund  a  failure,  new 
methods,  29  ;  agents,  29,  .30  ;  second 
financial  period,  partial  endowment, 
proposed  removal,  30;  cheering  leg- 
acy, 30,  31 ;  contested,  but  finally 
obtained  by  the  Seminary,  31 ;  di- 
rectors and  professors  closely  united, 
Skinner  appointed,   large  gift,   32  ; 


Boornian's  generosity,  32,  33  ;  now 
subscriptions,  endowment  decided 
upon,  33 ;  early  ecclesiastical  and 
theological  position,  34-44  ;  natural 
result,  34 ;  standing  of  founders,  34, 
35 ;  moderate  views,  35 ;  heresy 
trials,  35,  36 ;  autonomy  and  inde- 
pendence. New  School  S3'mi)athy,  30, 
37;  concession  to  General  Assembly, 
37  ;  practical  tiieology,  environment, 
37-39 ;  theological  culture  in  New 
York,  38,  39  ;  national  and  race  ele- 
ments, 40  ;  affected  by  ruptures  and 
disputes,  40,  41 :  New  School  ele- 
ments,  41,42;    New  England  ideas, 

42,  43;  creed,  43 ;  professors'  pledge, 

43,  44 ;  development  in  scope  anil 
force,  44-52;    effort  after  perfection, 

44,  45  ;  far-sighted  designs,  45;  Bible 
foundation,  46,  47  ;  instructors  dur- 
ing Robinson's  absence,  47,  48; 
SchaflTand  Shedd,  48;  Sacred  Liter- 
ature, 48,  49  ;  Systematic  Theology 
and  Church  History,  49 ;  Briggs, 
Smith,  Hitchcock,  49 ;  Pastoral 
Theology,  49,  50;  Professors  Ex- 
traordinary, Adams,  Hastings,  50; 
curriculum  enlarged,  50,  51  ;  Ely, 
Parker,  and  Morse  Foundations, 
special  courses,  51  ;  fellowships  es- 
tablished, 51,  52  ;  efforts  for  endow- 
ment, 52-55 ;  meeting  at  Butler's, 
53,  54 ;  turning  point,  circular,  new 
financial  agents,  54  ;  Gallagher's  and 
Hatfield's  success,  scholarships,  funds 
secured,  princely  gift,  Skiimer's  pro- 
fessorship, 55;  Morgan's  offer,  56, 
57  ;  confidence  inspired,  magnificent 
tree,  57  ;  benefactors,  58 ;  location 
removed,  58,  59  ;  departed  profes- 
sors. 60-72  ;  living  teachers,  72  ; 
growth  of  Library,  73-77  ;  lessons  of 
Semi-centennial  Catalogue,  77 ;  stu- 
dents from  many  places,  78-81 ;  ser- 
vice to  youth,  81 ;  alumni  the  glory 
of  a  Seminary,  81,  82  ;  present  condi- 
tion, 83 ;  changes  in  fifty  years,  83, 
87 ;   peace   restored,  new  questions, 

85  ;  moderation,  85,  8(i ;  future  work, 

86  ;  help  invoked,  80,  87  ;  present 
course  of  study,  88-94  ;  Junior  Class, 
88-90;  Middle  Class,  90,  91  ;  Senior 
Class,  91,  92 ;  Oriental  Languages, 
92-94;  professorships,  94,  95;  lec- 
tureships, 95  ;  fellowships,  95,  96  ; 
fellows,  instructorship,  90  ;  prize,  90. 
97 ;  catholicity,  97  ;  municipal  ad- 
vantages, 98,  99;  wants,  99,  100; 
capability,  100;  treasures  of  library, 
101-107;  list  of  missionaries,  107- 
110;  a  staff,  199;    fire-proof  build- 


294 


INDEX. 


insr,  200;  ampler  accommodations, 
201  ;  pillar  of  strength,  202 ;  a 
blessed  presence,  238;  important 
letters,  246-249,  277,  278;  moral 
indebtedness  to  Dr.  Skinner,  256 ; 
the  workmen  die,  but  the  work  must 
go  on,  282,  283. 

University  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
23,  128,"  209,  230. 

University  Place :  selected,  22,  23 ; 
left,  59. 

Upham,  Charles  W.,  113. 


Van  Bceen,  Martin,  26. 

Van  Dyck,  Cornelius  Van  Allen,  48. 

Van  Ess,  Joliann  Heinrich  (Leander), 
Libri  Prohibiti,  74,  102-107. 

Van  Ess  Library  :  purchased,  27  ;  mort- 
gaged, 28 ;  nucleus,  73  ;  history,  73- 
75;  contents,  101-107;  Phelps's  no- 
ble bequest,  200. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Alexander:  biograph- 
ical sketch,  226,  227  ;  education  and 
travel,  226  ;  benevolence,  227. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Stephen,  last  Patroon, 
226. 

Varick,  Richard,  143. 

Vincent,  Marvin  R. :  inauguration,  237; 
tribute  to  Smith,  265,  266. 

Virginia  :  theological  seminary,  16,  27; 
Taylor's  interest,  135. 

Vocal  Culture  :  exercises  in,  90-94  ;  in- 
structorship  established,  96. 

Voluntary  Societies,  7. 

w. 

Wabash  College,  182,  186. 

Wainwright,  Eli,  gift,  33. 

Ware,  Henry,  quoted,  234. 

War  Fund,  206. 

Washburn,  Edward  A.,  276. 

Washburn  Professorship :  established, 
95 ;  endowed,  279. 

Washburn,  Samuel,  memorial,  279. 

Washington,  George:  death  of,  114; 
friendship  for  Davenport,  189. 

Webb,  Elder,  11-5. 

Webster,  Daniel,  274. 

Wecksler,  J.,  tribute  to  Patton,  129. 

West,  growth  of  the,  80. 

Western  Reserve  College,  151,  193. 

Westminster  Confession  and  Cate- 
chisms :  upheld  by  Presbyterians,  40, 
43.  76;  works  relating  to,  104. 

Whedon,  Smith's  review  of,  264. 

White,  Henry:  a  Seminary  founder,  9, 
10 ;  character  and  position,  12,  61 ; 
committee,  15  ;  subscription,  21 ;  ap- 


pointment, 24 ;  death,  42,  252 ;  suc- 
cessor, 49;  discussion,  69;  joined 
with  Haines,  137,  138;  Allen  Street 
Church,  146;  eulogy  on  Nitchie, 
146,  147;  biographical  sketch,  251- 
254 ;  conversion,  251 ;  education, 
251,  2-52 ;  devotion  to  Seminary,  252  ; 
physique,  2-53 ;  memorial  tribute,  253, 
254  ;  preaching  and  teaching,  254. 

White,  Norman,  19,  21 ;  biographical 
sketch,  209-211;  tribute,  210;  phi- 
lanthropy, 210,  211. 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf,  Davenport 
poem,  189,  190. 

Wickham,  J.  D. :  on  Corning,  219; 
letter,  251. 

Wilbur,  Marcus,  9,  18. 

Williams,  William,  bookseller,  227. 

Williams  College,  10,  42,  186,  210,  241. 

Wilson,  James  Duncan  :  biographical 
sketch,  229,  230 ;  birth,  education, 
pastorate,  229;  illness  and  death, 
229,  230. 

Wilson,  James  Patriot,  Senior:  dis- 
tinction, 121;  pastorate,  friendship 
with  Barnes,  164,  165  ;  career,  231 ; 
death,  231,  232;  learning  and  eccen- 
tricity, 232;  preaching,  232-234; 
influence,  234,  235;  friendship  with 
Skinner,  258. 

Wilson,  James  Patriot,  Junior  :  service 
to  Seminarv,  49 ;  biographical  sketch, 
231,  235-238;  ancestry,  231;  death, 
235,  237;  education,  eulogy,  235;  ill- 
ness, 2.35,  236;  pastorates,  236; 
leader,  236,  237 ;  recollections,  237  • 
influence,  237,  238. 

Wilson,  Joshua  L.,  84. 

Wilson,  Matthew,  231. 

Winsor,  Justin,  on  libraries,  101,  102. 

Wisewell,  George  Franklin,  agent,  54. 

Witliington,  Leonard,  39. 

Wolff,  Philip,  75. 

Wood,  George,  15. 

Woodruff,  Frank  Edward,  fellow,  96. 

Woods,  Leonard,  39. 

Woods,  Leonard,  junior,  39. 


Yale  College  :  Dickinson,  42 ;  re- 
vival, Perit,  148 ;  Rowland  and 
Barrows,  151;  Lewis,  1.53;  Treat, 
1.55;  McLane,  178;  Brinsmade,  180; 
Fisher,  181;  Bidwell,  187;  Stiles, 
188;  Davenport,  190;  Fewsmith, 
192;  Clarke,  212;  Van  Rensselaer, 
226 ;  the  Robinsons,  243,  249;  Adams, 
266. 

Young  Men's  Missionary  Society,  156, 
157. 


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